On February 10, 2026, the Kishu Sumi (pine soot sumi ink from Kishu) produced by Mr. Horiike was selected as one of the 20 inaugural certified products for the "Wakayama Ichibanboshi Award," a prestigious program that recognizes exceptionally high-quality products from Wakayama Prefecture.
Kishu Sumi is a historic soot-based sumi ink (Shoen-boku) made from the soot of Wakayama’s native red pine trees. While it flourished under the patronage of the Kishu-Tokugawa clan, today, Masao Horiike is the only shokunin in Japan who continues to produce pine soot using the traditional "Shoji-taki" method passed down since the Edo period.
The production process is incredibly grueling: 500kg of carefully selected pine wood is split into small pieces and burned manually, one by one, for 100 consecutive hours. After this immense labor, only about 10kg of soot can be collected.
Although pine soot was once produced in abundance when pine wood was more affordable and accessible, its production has plummeted over time. Currently, Mr. Horiike is the only person in Japan maintaining this tradition.
Mr. Horiike handles every step of the process, from collecting the soot to the final sumi ink crafting. This "Pure Shoen Sumki Ink," made from 100% self-harvested pine soot, is a masterpiece of extreme rarity in the modern world.
