Four Treasures of the Study

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Four Treasures of the Study or Four Jewels of the Study (Chinese: traditional 文房四寶, simplified 文房四宝, Pinyin: wén fáng sì bǎo, Japanese: 文房四宝, Bunbō shihō) or Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우(文房四友) "Mun bang sa woo") is an expression used to denote the brush, ink, paper and ink stone used in Chinese and other East Asian calligraphic traditions. The name appears to originate in the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD).

Contents 1 The Four Treasures 1.1 The Brush 1.2 The Ink 1.3 The Paper 1.4 The Inkstone 2 The Tools of the Scholar

[edit] The Four Treasures

Chinese culture is very fond of four word couplets, and the Four Treasures are another example: "文房四寶: 筆、墨、紙、硯," (Pinyin: wén fáng sì bǎo: bǐ, mò, zhǐ, yàn) "The four jewels of the study: Brush, Ink, Paper, Inkstone." In the couplet mentioned each of the Treasures is referred to by a single epithet; however, each of these are usually known by a compound name (i.e. The Brush: 毛筆, literally "hand brush/pen"). The individual treasures have a "treasured" form, each being produced in certain areas of China as a speciality for those scholars who would use them.

[edit] The Brush

The brush (Chinese: traditional 毛筆, simplified 毛笔; Pinyin: máo bǐ) is the most ancient of the Four Treasures, with archaeological evidence dating back to the Zhou dynasty (1045 BC–256 BC) illustrating its use on ancient bones. The oldest brush found so far dates back to the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD). The brush is generally made from animal hair, although in certain situations writing brushes were made of the first hair taken from a baby's head. This hair was said to bring good luck in the Chinese Public Examinations. The handles of the brushes are commonly made of bamboo although special brushes might have handles made of sandalwood, jade, carved bone/ivory, or other precious materials.

Modern brushes are made primarily from white goat hair (羊毫), black rabbit hair (紫毫), yellow weasel hair (黄鼠毫), or a combination of these. Ancient brushes, and some of the more valuable ones available on the market may be made with the hair of any number of different types of animals. Each type of hair has a different ink capacity, which in turn results in a different appearance of the brush's stroke. These differing brushes are used for different styles of calligraphy and writing.

Brushes are classed as either soft (軟毫), mixed (兼毫) or hard (硬毫). Their production is quite a laborious process which involves hair-sorting on the basis of softness, hardness, thickness, length, and then making appropriate bundles of correct composition for certain purposes. The most famous and highly prized brushes are a mix of yellow weasel, goat and rabbit hair, and are known as Húbǐ (湖筆). They have been prized highly since the Ming dynasty (late 14th century) and are currently made in Shanlian (善琏), a town in the Wuxing District (吴兴) of Zhejiang province (浙江).

[edit] The Ink

The Inkstick (Chinese: 墨 pinyin: mò) is a form of artificial ink which was developed during the Han dynasty. The first inks used for writing were based on naturally occurring minerals like graphite and vermillion. Early inks were probably in liquid form, and therefore did not get preserved. The inksticks of today are generally made using soots from one of three different sources. These include lacquer soot, pine soot, and oil soot. These soots are collected, and then mixed with glue. Higher quality inksticks are also mixed with powdered spices and herbs, which both add to the aroma of the ink and providing some protection to the ink itself. The glue, soot, and spice mixture is then pressed into a shape and allowed to dry. This process may take upwards of 6 weeks depending on the dimensions of the inkstick.

The best ink sticks are fine grained and have a light, slightly ringing sound when tapped. They are often decorated with poems, calligraphy, or bas relief, and painted. These particular articles are highly collectable, and were often collected in much the same way as stamps are. The inksticks which are held in highest regard, are known as Huīmò (徽墨) are known to contain musk, borneol and other precious aromatics normally used in Chinese medicine. They are still produced today in Shexian (歙县) in Anhui province (安徽),

[edit] The Paper

Paper (Chinese: traditional 紙, simplified 纸; Pinyin: zhǐ) was first developed in China in the first decade of 100AD. Previous to its invention, bamboo slips and silks were used for writing material. Several methods of paper production developed over the centuries in China. However, the paper which was considered of highest value was that of the Jingxian (泾县) in Anhui province.

This particular form of paper, known as Xuānzhǐ (宣紙), is soft, fine-textured, moth resistant, has a high tensile strength, and remarkable longevity for such a product - so much so that it has a reputation for lasting "1,000 years." The quality of the paper depends on the processing methods used to produce it. Paper may be unprocessed, half processed or processed. The processing determines how well ink or paint is absorbed into the fibre of the paper, as well as the stiffness of the paper itself. Unprocessed papers are very absorbent and quite malleable, whereas processed papers are far more resistant to absorbtion and are stiffer.

[edit] The Inkstone

The inkstone (Chinese: traditional 硯 or 硯臺; simplified 砚 or 砚台; Pinyin: yàn or yàn tái) is used to grind the ink stick into powder. This powder is then mixed with water in a well in the inkstone in order to produce useable ink for calligraphy. The most ideal water for use in ink is slightly salty. Ink was first prepared using a mortar and pestle, but with the advent of inksticks this method slowly vanished. The stone used is generally of a relatively fine whetstone type.

The earliest known inkstones date back to the Han dynasty. The production of inkstones reached its zenith in the Tang and Song dynasties with inkstones becoming extremely intricate works of art. The most highly sought-after inkstones originated in four different locations in China. Duanshi (端石硯) stones from Duanxi in Guangdong, She (歙硯) stones from Shexian in Anhui, Taohe stones (洮河硯) from the Tao River in South Gansu and Chengni ceramic stones (澄泥硯) which are manufactured by a process which is said to have been developed in Luoyang in Henan.

[edit] The Tools of the Scholar

Classical scholars had more than just the Four treasures in their studies. The other "Treasures" include the brush-holder (笔架), brush-hanger (笔挂), paperweights (镇纸), the brush-rinsing pot (笔洗), and the seal (圖章) and seal-ink (印尼).