Shodo Daisuki Episode 10
Shodo Daisuki Episode 10
Challenge: Creating an “Usuzumi” (Light-Ink) Artwork!
Shodo Daisuki – Episode 10
After mastering the proper way to grind ink, “Shodo Daisuki” host Shimauchi takes on a light-ink (usuzumi) piece!
Shodo Daisuki Episode 10 – Video Overview
Shimauchi explains how to make usuzumi and create a piece with it.
He shares that enjoying calligraphy isn’t only about writing; viewing works is also a delight, touching on the beauty of ink tones and dimensionality seen at exhibitions.
In this episode, building on previous grinding techniques, he makes usuzumi (diluted ink) and demonstrates writing on a paper that bleeds easily.
He dilutes very dense ink with water and writes on bleed-prone paper.
He observes how the ink spreads, bleeds, and changes on the paper over time—and enjoys that process.
He’s especially moved by how the first horizontal stroke rises visually while the surrounding area bleeds whitish at the edges.
He notes there are many tips and a real depth to usuzumi making—such as blending special liquid inks or using kneaded ink—suggesting there’s much more to explore.
He also emphasizes that paper choice is crucial for expressive bleeding.
Finally, he encourages viewers to try the straightforward, standard usuzumi-making method he used in this episode.
YouTube Shodo Daisuki Episode 10
Shimauchi 00:00
Hello, this is Shodo-Daisuki Shimauchi.
Are you enjoying calligraphy today as well?
Writing isn’t everything—there are many ways to enjoy it. Viewing works with your own eyes is one of the true pleasures.
Shimauchi 00:17
I really love appreciating works in person. If I get the chance, I want to visit exhibitions, see powerful pieces up close, and enjoy them.
At venues you’ll encounter many blacks—
Shimauchi 00:32
strong, dynamic works are great, but there are also pieces whose ink tones are stunning—or that make you wonder how they achieved that dimensional effect. Those really draw me in.
Since we’ve gone over ink grinding in previous videos,
Shimauchi 00:52
I thought—why not make usuzumi and try a piece with it?
That idea came back to me, so I decided to challenge that way of enjoying calligraphy.
All right—this time, I’ll make usuzumi and write some characters.
Shimauchi 01:09
Please join me!
Right away—using the grinding method from earlier videos,
as you can see, I’ve got an ultra-dense, super-rich ink ready.
Shimauchi 01:29
The fragrance is amazing—
it’s like the ink is calling, “Use me now!” So I’m going to dilute it and make usuzumi.
This time I’ll test on paper that bleeds very well.
Shimauchi 01:49
I want to express that bleeding effect clearly.
Now, what will happen…?
It’s really close to overflowing—right at the limit. If I move it too vigorously, water will spill from the sea of ink on the stone.
Shimauchi 02:26
Honestly, it’s hard to believe—
I started with just a tiny bit of ink,
and I didn’t expect this. The ink is, well, dripping… All right, here we go. Please,
Shimauchi 02:49
turn into good usuzumi for me!
Let’s do this. Okay—okay—okay… oh! It looks like a proper usuzumi tone now.
And some lines are softly bleeding outward.
Shimauchi 03:16
This is fascinating.
I wrote a horizontal stroke first, then several verticals—and look, that first horizontal
is rising visually, with a whitish halo forming around it.
Shimauchi 03:45
There must be a reason for that.
I’ll stop here for a moment.
Let’s write some characters. Maybe thin it a bit more… Okay, I’ll try “Ganbatte (Do your best).”
Shimauchi 04:05
Let’s give it a go.
Oh!
I’ve written it—honestly, the ink tone came out better than I expected.
And it’s really fun to watch.
Shimauchi 04:40
It feels like the earliest strokes are the ones floating to the top in order.
And besides the bleeding, it’s as if water itself is flowing through the paper—
it’s spreading dramatically. Yeah—
Shimauchi 04:58
though the paper’s gotten quite fuzzy now…
Please forgive me—I did my best to write.
Whether the brush handling is good—let’s talk more about brushes another time.
Shimauchi 05:14
With usuzumi, a tiny amount of really dense ink can be diluted so much—turning into unexpected tones. I didn’t imagine that either.
It exceeded my expectations.
Shimauchi 05:30
But it was fun—
really interesting.
I wondered what would happen as I was writing, but after finishing, as time passes, the state of the ink keeps changing like this.
Shimauchi 05:45
That’s what I find fascinating.
All right—shall we call it good? How was my usuzumi piece?
It’s a bit embarrassing, but—
Shimauchi 06:01
I just wanted to write with usuzumi—
to enjoy it. That desire won out, so please forgive me.
Of course, there are many teachers who really obsess over usuzumi making.
Shimauchi 06:16
It’s not easy—
on the contrary, it’s very deep. There are many techniques—blending special liquid inks, using kneaded ink, and so on.
Shimauchi 06:33
So there’s still a lot of depth to explore and enjoy in usuzumi making. I’ll keep challenging myself.
Also, I realized again that if you want to express bleeding,
Shimauchi 06:48
paper choice is extremely important.
I should have tested more papers—
I now see there are many possibilities. I’ll keep that as something to look forward to.
Shimauchi 07:04
Today’s usuzumi method is really simple and standard—anyone can do it.
If you try it, I think you’ll say, “Hey, I made a nice usuzumi piece!”
Please give it a try—there’s value in doing so.
Shimauchi 07:22
So please try it out!
If you found this video interesting or helpful—or thought, “He finally did it!”—please subscribe and leave a like.
This has been Shodo-Daisuki Shimauchi.
Shimauchi 07:39
Thank you very much. See you again!
About Related Products
Here are the products featured in this video.
