Hidetoshi Nakata's media platform "NIHONMONO," which highlights traditional culture and craftsmanship across Japan, recently featured Kishu Shoen, a sumi ink studio located in Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture.
Kishu Shoen revived the traditional production method of shoen (pine soot), a craft that was once on the verge of disappearing in Japan. Horiike-san produces shoen-susu (pine soot) by quietly burning resin-rich sections of aged red pine and collecting the soot by hand. This soot is then carefully combined with animal glue (nikawa) and meticulously kneaded into individual shoen-boku (pine soot sumi ink sticks).
Horiike-san approaches his daily work with a clear philosophy that goes beyond simply crafting tools—one rooted in gratitude for the trees that provide the raw materials and a devotion to passing down the deep, sharp beauty of natural black to the next generation. This feature on NIHONMONO thoughtfully documents a handcraft defined by time and patience, standing in stark contrast to efficiency and mass production.
To learn more about Mr. Nakata's conversation with Horiike-san and his firsthand experience of the production process and the shokunin's philosophy, please read the full feature article on NIHONMONO.
