What sumi ink is actually made of, why grinding it on the suzuri matters, and how modern and traditional variants change the brush feel in a Tokyo class.
- Traditional sumi is soot bound with animal glue, not a chemical paint.
- Grinding ink on a suzuri is a quiet ritual that prepares both ink and writer.
- Most tourist classes use bottled sumi for time, but the principle is the same.
What sumi is actually made from
A traditional sumi stick has two main ingredients. The first is soot — fine carbon particles collected from burning either pine wood or vegetable oils such as rapeseed. Pine soot, called shoenboku, gives a slightly bluish black with a softer feel. Oil soot, yuenboku, gives a deeper, glossier black that sits cleanly on paper. The choice between them affects the mood of the line.
The second ingredient is a binder. Traditionally this is nikawa, a glue made from animal bones or hides, similar to gelatine. The binder holds the soot together when the stick dries and lets the ink flow smoothly when you grind it with water. A small amount of natural fragrance, often borneol or musk-like compounds, is added so the ink does not smell raw. The result is a black stick that is part craft material, part incense.
- Pine soot — softer, bluish-black tone
- Oil soot — deeper, glossier black
- Nikawa binder — traditional animal glue
- Natural fragrance — borneol and similar
The suzuri and why grinding matters
To turn a stick of sumi into usable ink, you grind it on a suzuri — a flat ink stone with a shallow well at one end. You pour a small amount of clean water into the flat surface, hold the stick lightly upright, and rub it in slow circles. As the soot and binder dissolve, the water turns black. You stop when the ink looks oily and dense at the edges of your circles.
This step is not just preparation. It is widely considered part of the practice. Grinding is slow and quiet. Calligraphers have written for centuries about the way it settles the mind and gives the writer a few minutes to think about the piece they are about to make. The same idea sits behind tea preparation, garden raking, and other Japanese practices that include their own setup as part of the art.
What you actually use in a Tokyo class
In most travel-friendly studios, including ours in Ueno and Asakusa, you will not be asked to grind a fresh stick from scratch for the whole session. Time is short, and the focus is on the writing itself. Bottled liquid sumi, made with similar ingredients, is poured into a shallow dish on your desk. Quality bottled sumi behaves close to ground ink, which keeps the brush feel honest.
Some classes still let curious guests try grinding a stick on a real suzuri as a short demonstration. If that interests you, mention it when you book. It is a small but memorable addition. You also see the suzuri and stick on display in the studio, so you can connect the bottled ink in your dish to the older tradition behind it.
- Bottled sumi for the main class to save time
- Suzuri and ink sticks visible as reference
- Optional grinding demo on request
- Same brush feel as ground ink for everyday work
Sustainability, vegan options, and modern brands
Travelers sometimes ask about animal-glue binders, especially if they are vegan or vegetarian. Modern Japanese ink makers do produce sumi using plant-based or synthetic binders, and several bottled sumi products avoid animal-derived glue entirely. If this matters to you, it is reasonable to ask about it before the class. The teacher can usually share what brand of sumi the studio uses.
Sustainability has another quiet side in shodo: the kit lasts. A good ink stick, suzuri, and brush can serve a calligrapher for decades. The fact that you write your piece on hand-made washi paper rather than throwaway material adds to that. The tradition is not heavy on consumables, which is part of why it has survived without major change for so long.