Ink sticks, also called ink cakes, are a solid form of Chinese ink used traditionally in Chinese, Japanese and other East Asian calligraphy and brush painting. Made mainly from soot bound with animal glue, sometimes scented with incense or medicinal additions, an ink stick is ground against an inkstone with a little water to produce a dark liquid ink that is then applied with an ink brush, and a calligrapher can vary how strongly and how long the stick is ground to adjust the concentration of the ink produced. Along with the inkstone, the ink brush and paper, the ink stick is one of the Four Treasures of the Study of classical Chinese literary culture.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Circa 256 BC; the earliest physical evidence of a solid soot-and-glue ink stick comes from tombs dated to the end of the Warring States period. 1 OriginPellet-type inks and their grinding implements are well attested in Han dynasty tombs, with larger ingot-type ink sticks appearing by the late Eastern Han. 1 Introduced era (class) Connections
Used In
Ink Stick is used in Calligraphy.
In the Other Atlases
Era Of Origin
Also in History Atlas: the era this subject comes from.
Sources
1. Ink Stick (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Warring States sentence
Physical proof for these first "modern" Chinese soot and animal glue inks were found in archaeological excavations of tombs dated to the end of the Warring States period around 256 BC.
History section, Han dynasty sentence
Many pellet-type inks and grinding implements have been found in Han dynasty tombs, with large ingot-type inks appearing in the late Eastern Han.
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