“Suibokuga (Ink paintings)” are paintings drawn using brush and India ink. Their special characteristic are the method of shading the India ink and drawing lines with strong strokes and weak strokes, and the atmosphere is also changes with the quality of the paper on which they are painted.

After being brought over from China in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), ink paintings were at the height of its popularity in the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). There were a lot of religious arts for the Zen (Buddhism) sect at first, but it started to deal with subjects such as landscape, flowers, and birds by the fifteenth century.

Suibokuga (ink paintings) in Japan came to perfection with the painter priest, Sesshu. After learning drawing technique of Suibokuga in China, he created his own style of painting.

“Japanese paintings” were born at that time, and the style of painting expressed with color using a pigment also came out, and the gorgeous painting represented by the Kano school's painting on a folding screen started as one of Japanese paintings later.

The brushes for Suibokuga (ink paintings) and/or “Japanese paintings” have been manufactured and sold by the brand of "Ichiryu (One Dragon)" and "Kojohen (Old Castle Garden)” in our company. Then our retail store "Hishou Kojohen” has a large selection of ink and colorful pigment and a lot of kinds & sizes of drawing paper specialized for Suibokuga and Japanese paintings as well as various brushes for Suibokuga and Japanese paintings. Please ask our staff what kind of Suibokuga and/or Japanese paintings you are going to try.

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