Mail Order of Traditional Handicrafts and Folk Art

• Osatsuishi is a black, shiny, hard slate rock from Osatsu-cho, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
• The particles are homogeneous, have high strength in compression and bending, and are highly resistant to aging.
  It is found in the Paleozoic Upper Triassic strata of the Kitakami Mountain Range's Tome Formation.
• The history of the Ogatsu inkstone is said to be very old, dating back to the early Muromachi period.
  It is said that in the early Edo period (1603-1868), Date Masamune presented two inkstones to a deer hunter on Tojima Island in the Oshika Peninsula, who was highly praised and rewarded with an inkstone.
• It is also said that Tadamune II of the Date family was so impressed with the skillfulness of his work that he asked the Date clan to hire an inkstone master to work on the mountain where the inkstone was made, which he called " Otome Mountain" and did not allow ordinary people to pick up stones.
• Since then, this inkstone has been honored as a famous inkstone since the time of Onei, and has been around for 600 years.
  This inkstone is still hand-carved by the same old method, with each stroke of the inkstone maker's skill and each breath.
• The most important part of an inkstone is the viper's edge, which serves as the teeth for ink brushing.
  The characteristic feature of the Ogatsu inkstone is the perfect balance between the roughness, fineness, hardness, and softness of the spearhead character. The color is black or dark indigo, with a rich patina and a smooth stone skin.

• Recently, I visited Mr. Masaru Yamazaki, the traditional craftsman of the Ogatsu inkstone.
  After the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the Ishinomaki area of the Ogatsu Inkstone Company was devastated.
  It's an atrocious figure.
  　　　 　　
  

• Mr. Yamazaki had lost his wife in the tsunami and was living near his daughter's house in Sendai.
  Fortunately, he has borrowed a work shed on his daughter's property and continues to work on his inkstone.
  (He has moved his workshop to his current location in Ishinomaki City in 2019.
• I met Mr. Yamazaki eight years ago, when I visited the Tohoku exhibition at Isetan Shinjuku in the summer.
  I had heard the name of this inkstone before, but I did not know the details of the inkstone, so this visit made me learn more about it.
• As a result of our conversation, we decided to publish it on the Webcite of The specialized in handwork.
  Nine years have already passed since the disaster, but there are still traces of it everywhere, and one has to wonder when the Ogatsu inkstone will be able to return to its former glory.
• He used to travel to the Kansai area for demonstrations and sales in department stores, etc., but these days he does not participate in the exhibitions because of his age and the decline in demand.
• On the other hand, the introduction and sale of Webcite will be easy to participate in, as the cost is zero.
  It is my hope that many people will continue to use this inkstone by passing on their traditional skills.

The four corners of the inkstone, which was cut to standard size, were artificially removed to give the stone a natural look.
Similar shapes can be made and mass production is also possible.

This inkstone and inkstone with a lid is made of natural stone.
A single stone is divided into the inkstone lid and the body of the inkstone.
If you keep the lid on when you rest your hands, the ink will not dry out.

• The price is the price of the main unit.A separate consumption tax will be added.
• We are sorry, but please take your time to deliver the product.
  The reason is that Mr. Masaru Yamazaki will be away from the workshop for nearly a month when he is demonstrating and selling at department stores.
• In the meantime, he is not able to handle the shipping because he is working alone.
  Thank you very much for your understanding.
• Mr. Yamazaki has stored a large amount of Ogatsu stone, so he can handle any type of inkstone.
  We can also accept your name inscription as a gift.