Shodo Daisuki Episode 71 — Video Overview

This is a transcript of a calligraphy-related video by Shimauchi titled “Do Not Mix! Dangerous: Liquid Ink and Solid Ink.”
In this video, he examines the effects of mixing solid ink into liquid ink.

Shimauchi points out that while many people casually grind solid ink into liquid ink, very few can clearly explain the advantages and disadvantages.
He admits that he himself used to add solid ink based only on a vague impression.

In the experiment, he added solid ink 200 strokes × 3 times (a total of 600 strokes) into 7.5 cc of glue-based liquid ink, and conducted the same test with resin-based liquid ink.
With glue-based liquid ink, the following changes were observed after adding solid ink:

An increased sense of volume when the brush is loaded with ink
Ink stays on the paper during brush separation, creating moderate resistance and making it easier to write
The ink color changes to a calmer, more sophisticated tone

On the other hand, with resin-based liquid ink, no major changes were observed even after grinding in solid ink, resulting in little effect relative to the effort required.
In tests using different types of paper, almost no grinding-in effect was seen on machine-made paper for either glue-based or resin-based ink.

As his final conclusion, Shimauchi states that grinding solid ink into liquid ink is acceptable when using a combination of glue-based liquid ink and handmade paper.
Examples of use include cases where a mixed-hair brush is used instead of a sheep-hair brush, or when adjusting the atmosphere of a piece that looks overly dark.

Finally, Shimauchi notes that this experiment was conducted using only one type of solid ink he owned, and results may differ with other solid inks.
He emphasizes that there is no absolute answer in calligraphy, that the writer’s judgment is what matters, and encourages viewers to conduct their own tests.