History of Inkstone

One volume of "History of Inkstone", written by Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty. The first chapter is titled "Supplies", which discusses the importance of making ink when discussing stones. It is followed by the "Properties" chapter, which discusses the hardness and softness of stones. The "Samples" chapter lists the differences in shapes between Jin inkstones and Tang inkstones up to the Song Dynasty. There are twenty-six kinds of inkstones in the Middle Ages, from jade inkstones to Caizhou white inkstones. The two stones, Duan and She, are distinguished in particular detail. Those who claim to have witnessed the use of scriptures, otherwise they will not be recorded, and their intentions are very cautious. Collected in the late period, there are one green stacked stone and one pure purple stone, all of which are considered to be the treasures of the Duo Dynasty. However, it is not known whether it was not as good as the so-called Yanshan of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Either it had not yet returned to Baojinzhai at that time, or it had been changed by Xue Shaopeng. In Fu Ben Gong's calligraphy, all good inkstones have been personally tested, so the theory of inkstones discussed is different from those of other families. The textual research on the changes in production during the Duo Dynasty is particularly accurate, and it can be of great help to scholars in studying the past.