Why Japanese Calligraphy Ink Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider

Comments · 5K

• BU

  @BusinessInsider · 4 months ago · pinned

  Also read &quot;I turned a YouTube-taught hobby into a side hustle selling art for $13,000 a year&quot;: <a href="https://bit.ly/4umTgOI">https://bit.ly/4umTgOI</a>

  12

• FA

  @fahimir5373 · 3 years ago

  It never seizes to astonish me how the Japanese are determined to preserve their traditions by not taking the easy way out.

  29K

• JO

  @jonatanwestholm · 3 years ago (edited)

  For every craft in the world, no matter how mundane, there is a Japanese person who has elevated it to the highest art. Massive respect

  9.1K

• RO

  @roonn5584 · 3 years ago

  Can’t believe this Kobayen guy has lived for 450 years making ink for us. Absolute king.

  13K

• MO

  @mourningdewey · 1 year ago

  i&apos;ll give the japanese this: they consistently do everything the hard way to ensure best quality and preservation of culturally important technique. they deserve mad respect for that

  378

• JO

  @JonnyBarrett · 3 years ago

  Shout out to the cinematographer for making the most of that light - the soot collection scenes were amazing - beautifully shot

  7.2K

• TC

  @tcat0211 · 3 years ago (edited)

  My aunt was an accomplished calligrapher and I &nbsp;spent hours by her side when I was a child grinding huge 100yr old inksticks like ones shown on the video on 500yr old inkstones. It was a huge honor to be given the task as all my relatives were intensely jealous of me and nearly half a century later I have only begun to understand the extent of how meaningful it was. The aroma which filled the room is forever engraved into my being for life. It truly was a zen experience that cannot be fully described nor explained by my limited mind.

  5K

• ME

  @MentalSmarties · 3 years ago

  It’s just mind boggling how human beings just figure all of this stuff out and solidify the process over the span of centuries. Incredible!

  1K

• RA

  @ray-antraya4880 · 3 years ago

  The cameraman stayed with this Kobayen guy for 450 years making the ink from start to finish. Kudos to both

  1.5K

• ST

  @stephanieyee9784 · 3 years ago

  I love the fact that the CEO of this company is not driven exclusively by profit. That the Product and the Process are so important to him is awesome and a wonderful thing. <br>The staff have such awful dirty jobs but they are performed with pride. <br>I hope this company stays viable for many more years to come. <br><br>450 years. Incredible.

  1.2K

• BA

  @baba-of-legend · 3 years ago

  I love the recognition of these people as artisans in this video. Often times production videos like this underappreciate the labor that goes into making these products.

  2.1K

• IC

  @ichi-japan · 3 years ago

  In the 500-year history of Kobaien&apos;s ink production, Japanese society has gone through very significant social changes, from the feudalistic system of the samurai to the great reforms in Meiji era, World War I and World War II. <br><br>The story of sumi ink manufacturing and their philosophy of craftsmanship that has been preserved in such circumstances is very interesting and valuable. Everyone is welcome to visit the Koubaien in Nara.<br><br>We, Ichi inc, Japan, &nbsp;have been sending out information about Kobaien&apos;s ink production for several years now. We are very happy to have been featured in this way.

  1.6K