松煙煤職人 Masao Horiike

The only pine-soot artisan in Japan who makes pine-soot, the raw material for Sumi ink.

Mr. Horiike is not only a pine-soot artisan but also a Sumi ink craftsman who produces pine-soot ink sticks made with his pine-soot, called Kishu Zumi.

Famous calligrapher Bakuzan Sakaki, one of the fans of Kishu Zumi, describes in his book the charm of pine-soot ink sticks as “clear yet deep color”.

Furthermore, he was the first sumi ink stick artisan in Japan to develop and introduce colored Sumi ink stick or “Saiem Boku. This colored sumi ink is becoming increasingly popular in these days. 

Good example of this trend is Kisa Matsushita. She leads the modern sumi ink brush painting  with her bold brush strokes and conceptual ability, She depicted the splendor of cherry blossoms in "Minami Aoyama 5-chome, Spring Time” using Saien Boku. Enjoyers of "Saien Boku" range from picture-paper artists to full-scale ink painters.

    • The only shokunin in Japan who makes pine-soot, the raw material for sumi ink.

      He has revived the art of "SHOEN (pine-soot)" production that had been lost since the Showa 30s (1950s), he has become the sole pine soot shokunin in Japan now.

    • Handcrafted one by one.

      Mr. Horiike makes sumi ink made exclusively from pure pine soot sourced from Kishu Shoen. Known for creating beautiful gradations when applied to paper.

    • Pioneered the development of colorful sumi ink in Japan for the first time.

      The popular colorful Sumi ink is said to have been initially introduced and sold by Mr. Horiike.

    • Award

      • 2023▶︎The 54th Tanabe City Cultural Award
      • 2022▶︎The 2022 Prefectural Master Craftsman Award, given to skilled shokunin in traditional crafts and the manufacturing of everyday items

    • Media
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