We often receive questions about how to care for brushes. To provide the best guidance, we consulted Suzuki-san, a Fude Shokunin (master brush craftsman) with nearly 70 years of experience.
Here are the steps for cleaning a brush:
- Hold the brush head and gently spread the bristles at the base.
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Drip water onto the opened base to loosen the ink.
- Let the sumi ink flow down from the handle side toward the tip.
- Wash the entire brush head (both the body and the tip) thoroughly.
- Remove any loose hairs carefully.
- Lay the brush on paper to dry.
While hanging a brush to dry is common, Suzuki-san recommends placing it on a sheet of washi (Japanese paper) or a paper towel. The paper absorbs deep-seated moisture and leftover ink more effectively. It makes perfect sense!
Two Tips for Longevity
To keep your brushes in peak condition for years to come, keep these two points in mind:
- Pre-wet the brush: Before dipping your brush into sumi ink, dip it in clean water first and lightly squeeze out the excess. If you apply sumi ink to a bone-dry brush, the pigment gets trapped deep in the core and hardens, which is very difficult to remove later.
- Use freshly ground ink: For high-quality brushes, we strongly recommend using ink freshly ground from a sumi inkstick. While convenient, bottled ink contains additives that can be harsh on natural hair. Brushes used with bottled ink tend to become stiff and lose their ability to hold ink well over time.
We believe that the act of grinding sumi ink calms the mind, leading to better artistic creation. As the saying goes, "more haste, less speed."
Before you begin, take a moment to grind the sumi ink and engage in a silent dialogue with the craftsman who poured their heart into making your brush. In that quiet time, you may find a new sense of inspiration or discovery.
