# Can anyone identify this? Those that speak Japanese would help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2024, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267 "2024-03-24T02:23:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/21 "2024-03-24T11:59:33Z")
Now I have to try it. Dammit. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/22 "2024-03-24T12:27:26Z")
I have similar stuff at home, which I bought at an art supply store. I have an ink stick which is scented, for some reason. Not much to add, except you only need a few drops of water, don’t apply force when grinding, and you had better have a lot of patience 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/23 "2024-03-24T12:28:33Z")
I had a grinding stone, an ink stick, and a special brush back when I was studying Japanese in college. I had (and still have) a love of calligraphy and enjoyed practicing my hiragana, katakana, and kanji using my ink setup. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/24 "2024-03-24T12:33:31Z")
My wife studies East Asian ink sticks, from both a cultural heritage and chemistry standpoint. She says “ The design is strongly reminiscent of Kobaien inksticks, although they (now) have a different inscription on their standard inksticks. The blue color just is decorative, doesn’t imply that it makes blue ink. My image search skills are weak, so can’t find some of the same photos that Dr SL did, but looking at the hosting sites for those may be more informative. Sometimes inscriptions are meaningful, but sometimes just poetic.” ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/25 "2024-03-24T14:00:39Z")
Well, now that I know what the heck it is, I tried it, and it works. It’s almost like water colors. Well, just black though. @abcdefghij if your wife would be interested in this, I could UPS it to you. PM me. If, though, this is just sending a pencil through the mail, it’s really not worth the bother. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/26 "2024-03-24T14:37:52Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > @abcdefghij if your wife would be interested in this, I could UPS it to you. PM me. If, though, this is just sending a pencil through the mail, it’s really not worth the bother. She says thank you, but she has several examples already. This is one of the oldest manufacturers of ink sticks in Japan; still active after several hundred years. They’re very popular, which may be why your aunt bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/27 "2024-03-24T15:00:56Z")
According to the video China\_Guy linked, sticks improve as they age. So it might be more valuable just for being more than 50 years old. I was browsing this site last night–there is a bit of a price range. > **[Products](https://the-worlds-oldest-inkstick.jp/collections/all?sort_by=price-descending)** > > The authorized online store of Kobaien Sumi Ink sticks in Nara, Japan. We, ICHI Inc is the authorized Japanese agency and distributor of Kobaien sumi ink sticks for the international market since 2015. Our mission is to share the spirit and... I wonder how much of that price gap is real quality difference and how much is “you need these $1,000 gold audio cables to enjoy your sound system”? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/28 "2024-03-24T16:30:04Z")
My cousin is going to take another look at it. Her mom gave this to my mom (that’s really the only explanation). Value is not always in dollars. It is an interesting piece though. It sure confused me, but it does work as intended. Thanks everyone for sorting this out. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/29 "2024-03-24T16:34:15Z")
I had one of those ink blocks when I was a kid. A present from someone. Don’t know what happened to it, I assume my mother disposed of it to prevent some kind of mess. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267/30 "2024-03-24T20:18:14Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Same decoration on the sticks in the video as with the OP: different characters though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-those-that-speak-japanese-would-help/999267.md?page=1)