The production of sumi ink takes place during winter. This is because one of the raw materials for sumi, Nikawa glue, may not solidify or may even rot when it becomes warm, so it needs to be dried to some extent before the rainy season arrives.
It seems that the season for making sumi ink has already ended for this year. However, that doesn't mean the sumi shokunin have nothing to do. They now bury sumi in the ash and gradually let the moisture from the sumi be absorbed by the ash, allowing it to dry. They replace the ash that has absorbed moisture and move it around. It requires special attention, and these wooden boxes filled with ash and sumi are quite heavy. The laborious work continues.
