Calligraphy inkstones, especially elaborately designed ones, can cost over $5,000. While the traditional practice of using an ink stick and inkstone is less common now that liquid ink exists, the artistry and labor involved in making inkstones — for use or as collectibles — keep demand alive.
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00:00Kwon Hyuk Soo will spend hours sawing this natural red rock into the perfectly sized calligraphy inkstone.
00:15He sells his smaller inkstones for $750, but larger ones can cost more than $2,200.
00:35Some professional calligraphers prefer grinding their ink on an inkstone even though they could use more affordable liquid ink.
00:43So what makes these inkstones so expensive and why would calligraphers still use this ancient method?
01:13The process of creating these expensive inkstones starts here, just 12km away from Hyuk Soo's workshop in Jincheon, South Korea.
01:40This is where he collects the red stone for his prized calligraphy inkstones.
01:54Hyuk Soo avoids stones that have been exposed to air as they make for poor inkstones.
02:01It's important that the stone isn't cracked and the surface is as uniform as possible.
02:08The type of stone Hyuk Soo uses, Sangsanjasok, is only available here.
02:14When he finds a stone that meets all of his qualifications and is easy enough to lift, he heads back to his workshop in Jincheon.
02:24Now he can start the slow and grueling process of transforming it into a sellable inkstone.
02:34Hyuk Soo must first saw the stone into the size he desires.
02:41He does this the traditional way, no chainsaws or power tools, just physical force and a handsaw.
02:49To avoid injuring himself or damaging the stone, he secures it tightly.
03:03It's too hard to do alone, so Hyuk Soo's friend assists.
03:17They push and pull the saw until it's a little over an inch deep, where Hyuk Soo can begin to chip away at the parts he doesn't need.
03:28But manipulating this rock doesn't get any easier.
03:38Hyuk Soo's only tools are chisels, grinding stones and brushes for dusting debris.
03:57Is this your first time?
03:59Yes, it's my first time.
04:01Ah, you're from the city.
04:03You must have used a lot in the countryside.
04:08He does every part of the process with his hands and shoulders.
04:14A beautiful inkstone is more valuable, so Hyuk Soo micromanages every step to make sure no flaws show up in the finished product.
04:26He flattens the bottom so it's perfectly level.
04:31Trying to fix it later will risk damaging the design he'll engrave into the other side.
04:39Most inkstones have three basic elements.
04:42A flat surface to rub the ink stick, a groove where the ink accumulates and a border where artisans create designs.
04:51The flat grinding surface slopes into the collection pool so the water and ground ink can flow easily.
04:58This shape is vital to the inkstone's functionality and value, so it must be perfected.
05:22My shoulders were red, bruised and in pain.
05:29After countless hours of chiselling and scraping, millimetre by millimetre, the surface is complete.
05:38Now it's time for the border.
05:41Today, Hyuk Soo is working on a relatively simple design, plum blossoms.
05:47If you want to make a flower petal, you need to be careful of the thin border.
05:57If you don't, you'll get scratches.
06:03He engraves every minute detail along the border.
06:08More intricate designs require more labour and time, so they're more expensive.
06:15But while the hardest part is done, Hyuk Soo says the inkstone is not yet worthy of a high price.
06:22That happens during polishing, which gives the inkstone its most important property, being smooth yet sharp.
06:31Hyuk Soo uses an abrasive stone and sandpaper to polish the inkstone.
06:37This creates an overall smooth look, but Hyuk Soo says the process also sharpens the outer layer of stone particles.
06:46That way, the stone can grind the inkstick into a fine powder.
06:54The sharpness of the stone particles directly impacts how well the inkstone performs, and in turn, its final value.
07:07You can see the stone particles clearly here.
07:14Depending on how well the inkstone stands, the inkstone grinds well.
07:21If the inkstone stands well, the inkstone grinds well.
07:25If the inkstone doesn't stand well, the inkstone doesn't grind.
07:30Once he's satisfied with the result, Hyuk Soo applies lacquer for protection and longevity.
07:38The inkstone is now ready for sale and use by calligraphers.
07:50Vincent Chong is a contemporary calligraphy artist.
07:55They use inkstones and inksticks for some of their work, even though liquid ink is popular with modern calligraphers due to its ease of use.
08:04The first thing that I think of is either the sound or the smell of grinding ink.
08:09Vincent says inkstones allow for a level of control that bottled ink can't offer.
08:17So using an inkstone allows you to really tailor the quality of the ink to exactly what you want to do,
08:24and it also just seems to work out better always.
08:29And whatever additional stuff is in a bottle of ink just isn't quite as nice on the paper.
08:35I think at this point you can sort of see that the laborious quality of this process
08:41creates some energetic or psychological feeling of preciousness with this little bead of ink that you've worked so diligently to produce,
08:49which I guess just makes the experience feel more special.
08:55While Vincent isn't in the position to buy a multi-thousand dollar inkstone at the moment, it's something they aspire to.
09:02Yeah, I feel like it would give you this sort of energetic connection to another craftsperson, another artist.
09:08And in that regard I think it just makes the experience a little more special,
09:13you know, because so much care has been taken on the part of that artisan
09:17just so that you can have this really special experience of your own,
09:22in your own art practice, of your own sort of creative, generative kind of practice.
09:31I guess that's a little bit scary to use something that's so precious,
09:36but I guess, I mean it's funny because we're talking so specifically about rocks
09:40and stones have been just around for such a long time
09:44and humans have had this sort of fascination with them for such a long time
09:47that treating them preciously feels really natural,
09:51but at the same time, you know, they have this life
09:55and you should sort of allow them to engage with other parts of the physical world
10:00in a way that, I don't know, gives them the generosity that they deserve having been around so long.
10:07Hyuk-soo similarly admires the preciousness of the stones.
10:13He appreciates the properties of Sung-sun Ja-suk that make it invaluable to his work and craft.
10:31I got this from the water.
10:33You don't know how long it's been in the water.
10:36You don't know if it's been a month or a year.
10:44Can you see it?
10:46It's not wet at all.
10:50It means that it never absorbs water.
10:53Sung-sun Ja-suk.
10:56Sung-sun Ja-suk inkstones were considered a luxury product
11:00during the Joseon dynasty, which began around 1400,
11:05but production died down during the Japanese colonization of Korea in the 1910s.
11:11But Hyuk-soo, a third-generation master
11:14and one of four remaining inkstone artisans in Korea,
11:18is putting it back on the map.
11:25After Hyuk-soo's death, Sung-sun Ja-suk inkstones disappeared.
11:30At that time, I thought that the people of Mokpo were in trouble,
11:35so I started this business.
11:37But as I got older and older,
11:40it became a luxury product in the middle.
11:44But thanks to my wife's help during the war,
11:49I've been able to do this until now.
11:51It was a pity that the famous stone called Sung-sun Ja-suk
11:54was no longer known.
11:58But I feel proud that I'm wearing this inkstone.
12:02While much of the inkstone industry has been mechanized,
12:05Hyuk-soo believes the only way to keep Sung-sun Ja-suk inkstones alive
12:10is by making them by hand.
12:13And for contemporary calligraphers like Vincent,
12:16this tradition is a constant source of inspiration
12:19as they make their own space
12:21in the long and continuing history of calligraphy.
12:26Being able to reconnect with the brush marks
12:29and thus sort of like the bodily gestures of artists of the past,
12:34I think was restorative in a way that helped me feel connected
12:37to this artistic lineage and culture.
12:40Especially as queer and trans people,
12:43I feel like it feels so clear that our communities
12:47have been at the heart of artistic communities
12:50for all of human history.
12:52Whether or not we've been erased,
12:54whether or not our stories have been passed down.
12:56So being able to sort of access those artists
13:00who maybe were queer or trans,
13:04but we just don't have those stories today.
13:08I think being able to access their work through calligraphy
13:12was sort of one of the things that drew me to the practice.
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