The origin of ink development

The main raw materials of ink are soot, pine smoke, glue and so on. Carbon exists in amorphous form. Ink written with a brush can be produced by grinding an inkstone with water, and it exists in water in the form of colloidal solution.

Different water content of ink and different composition of glue will affect the viscosity of ink. The viscosity of ink used in different occasions is different. In addition, the water content of the newly made ink is also more. In addition, the ink with long storage time has higher density, and after years of drying, the three-dimensional effect of ink color is higher. This kind of ink is called "Gu Mo" in Japan.

The main raw materials of ink are tobacco, gum and traditional Chinese medicine. Ink written with a brush can be produced by grinding an inkstone with water.

The impression of ink seems a little simplistic, but it is an indispensable article in ancient Chinese characters. With the help of this original material, the fantastic artistic conception of China's paintings and calligraphy can be realized. The world of ink is not boring, but rich in connotation. As a consumable, ink can be presented intact today, which is very precious.

Before the invention of artificial ink making, natural ink or semi-natural ink was generally used as writing material. Ink was invented about later than pen. Prehistoric painted pottery patterns, Shang and Zhou Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bamboo slips, silk paintings and so on have left traces of original ink everywhere. According to documents, ink was also used in ancient ink punishment (face painting), ink rope (carpenter's use) and ink turtle (divination). Archaeological excavations in China found bones and ink on stone tools in the14th century BC, and ink blocks in the Warring States Period were also unearthed from Yunmeng County, Hubei Province. There is a phrase "licking pen and ink" in Zhuangzi, which shows that in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, brush and ink were already used.

"Shu Ancient Calligraphy Collection" contains: In the Western Zhou Dynasty, "Xingyi began to make ink, and the characters were made of black soil, soot and earth." In ancient times, when writing, bamboo was first colored, and then carbonized to get juice. The book was called graphite. In Qin and Han dynasties, pine smoke and tung coal were used to make ink. The earliest known smoke ink was found in Yunmeng Qin Mausoleum in Hubei and Fenghuang Han Tomb in Jiangling, Shanxi. At that time, the ink was small round, not molded into ingots.

In the Han Dynasty, artificial ink finally began to appear. This kind of ink raw material is taken from pine smoke, which is first kneaded by hand and then molded, and the ink quality is solid. According to Ying Shao's "Han" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Shang Shuling, Servant Shooting, Cheng Lang, give a large amount of ink and a small amount of ink every month." Bai Weiling is located in Qianyang County, Shaanxi Province, near Zhong Nanshan Mountain. There are many pine trees on the right side of the mountain, which are very famous for the tobacco used to make ink.

The quality of ink in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties has been continuously improved. Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote The Book of Qi Yaomin, which was the earliest ink mixing method in China. Chao and Ting Xuan, the famous Mohist writers in the Tang Dynasty, produced good ink that was "greasy and greasy, and glossy as paint". In the Song Dynasty, Mo Gong Pangu was a master of ink painting, and painters such as Su Dongpo and Huang admired him very much. There were Shao Gezhi, Fang and others in Ming Dynasty. Developed his own school. Shexian and Xiuning made ink, and the fine products made were still colorful more than 300 years ago. In the Qing Dynasty, ink making mainly developed into "refined ink" (appreciation ink) and "home-made ink" (mostly for collection or gift to relatives and friends), which became exquisite arts and crafts.

There are two kinds of ink: Song Yanmo ink and lampblack ink. Song Yanmo is made of ash burnt by pine trees, which is dark in color, poor in luster and light in gum, and only suitable for writing. Smoke and ink are mostly cigarettes made of animals or vegetable oil, which are characterized by black and bright color; The most common tung smoke ink is solid, delicate and shiny. Chinese painting generally uses lampblack, only color painting occasionally uses pine smoke. But in the performance of some plain things such as butterflies, black velvet and so on. It is also best to use pine smoke. Chinese painting ink generally uses ink ingots. When you choose Mo Ding, you should look at its ink color. It is best to see that the ink is blue and purple, followed by black, and the worst is red, yellow or white. According to the purpose, it can be divided into ordinary ink, tribute ink, royal ink, homemade ink, rare ink, gift ink and so on.

Yumo

Imperial ink, as its name implies, should be used by the royal court. As mentioned earlier, Li Yu named Li Tinggui as an ink official in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and at the latest, he made royal ink for the royal family. At present, the earliest thing I saw was Yongle Imperial Ink in Ming Dynasty. National treasure ink, cow tongue-shaped, with two dragon patterns in the middle, the word "national treasure" written in the female body, four groups of cloud patterns painted in gold on one side, and the blue pattern of "Yongle Year of Ming Dynasty" in the middle. The production is quite exquisite. When Xuande proclaimed himself emperor, there was also imperial ink. Mo Yu in Longxiang, in the shape of a bull's tongue, has a dragon play bead relief on one side, the word "Mo Yu in Longxiang" in regular script is in yin, and the inscription "Xuande's first year system" in regular script is in yin. Longxiang ink was first made by Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, and Yunxian Miscellaneous Notes in Tang Dynasty: "Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty made ink on the case, and Rilong incense agent was also made (Chengdu Ji):" Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty used hibiscus flower juice as the royal ink, which was called Longquan agent ".

Mo Gong

Gongmo is the ink that officials asked Mo Gong to make and present to the emperor. They all have references' names, and some have Mo Gong's name. Tribute ink is extremely fine and can be called the best in ink. The gobbledygook is a five-color tribute ink with * * * five spindles, which are Guangxi-shaped and blue. On one side, it is decorated with Ssangyong, with moire patterns on the top and bottom. On the back, the word "Qinggui" is filled with official script gold, and on the side, "Jiangxi Governor Chen Huaigong Gold" is written in regular script. Dragon shape, green; Wheel-shaped, yellow, with the words "Ruyi Baolun" on one side of the book; Silkworm-shaped, vermilion; Yu Pei shape, purple. In addition to GUI-shaped ink, there are also patterns commonly used in bronzes. The ink bottle is painted black, and the golden dragon is painted. In the middle, the seal script is "Tianshu Huancai". Ink tools have the characteristics of fine smoke and clear glue, elegance and nobility, and exquisite decoration.

Homemade ink

Homemade ink is not sold according to the wishes of the ink maker. Most of them were made by officials, gentry and famous painters and painters, either in the name of Mohist or producer. Its material selection is exquisite, and it is also the top grade in the collection. Calligraphy and painting boat ink, rectangular, with the words "calligraphy and painting boat" in calligraphy on one side, five characters "Cao Guan Wu Zang Mo" in calligraphy on the other side, and eight characters "Kangxi Mid-Autumn Festival" in calligraphy on the right side. He made his own ink for Cao Guanwu, a famous ink painter in Feng Run, Hebei. At that time, there were Cao in the north and south, Cao Guanwu in the south and Cao Guanwu in the north in the Mohist circle. Thin ink is a kind of non-practical ink specially made for appreciating and collecting. Excellent materials, exquisite carving and high artistry, and it is also a boutique in ink painting. There are different forms of thin ink, such as turtledove inkstone ink in Ming Dynasty, Yangmei ink in Ming Dynasty, Xiangquan Qin ink in Qing Dynasty by Wang Shimiao, ink in Qing Dynasty and earth ink, among which Hu Tianzhu, the founder of Modian, is the most famous. For example, a group of two ingots of ink are all human-shaped, holding a large round ink on the chest, and the words "people grind ink, ink grinds people" are sealed on the round ink. One ingot is glittering, and the essence of the ingot is delicate and smooth. On the back of the ink, there is a line of regular script "Easy Travel First Man Production". This kind of ink is of good quality and new style, and it is the best among rare inks. Gift ink is not sold as a gift. This kind of ink pays more attention to the external form and is beautifully decorated. Because it is not a practical product, the tobacco material is poor, but the meaning is clear, and it is also the top grade in the collection. There are all kinds of birthday ink, wedding ink, thank you ink and so on. Such as Wu Wenli's autumn water pavilion ink, cow tongue-shaped, decorated with clouds. On one side of the box, the inscription is "Teacher Mu Weng really appreciates it", and on the other side, it is "Master Wu Wenli". On the other side of the box, the words "Qiushuige" are written in italics, and the words "Yuji" are filled in italics in the lower right. Although Tibetan ink is a trivial matter, it has a long history. Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, has a special liking for Tibetan ink. There are four boxes of my favorite ink in my life. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, this kind of atmosphere was more prosperous, especially the ink made by famous workers, which was even more valuable. Cheng Junfang once boasted: "It is as good as gold after a hundred years of ink residue".

Shape classification

Rectangular ink

Lund Mo Yu

Lund Mo Yu

Circular ink

Commemorative ink

Wood chip ink

Submorphic ink

Aquarius ink

Ancient chime ink

Waist element shape

octagon

oval

lunate

cylindroid

Bird-beast type

Color of ink

Ink means black, but ancient ink is not only black, but also colored ink of other colors. The size of ink is generally 26 ingots.

Bai Mo

Colored gold ink

Yellow ink

Green ink

Cyan ink

deficit

Seven-color ink

deficit