The brush I use is from a Japanese studio called Seishindo
This studio has been in the business for generations, with parents and children taking over the business.
The parents continue with the promise to spend millions of dollars stocking up on furs for the next generation for their children.
However, animal hair cannot be used immediately after it has been hunted, so it is laid down for about 80 years.
Therefore, all the brushes made by the current brushmakers are prepared for them by the previous generation of craftsmen.
I once went to hear a lecture by Mr Abe, who now owns Seishindo's owner
He says that the blending of the animal hair for the brushes in this workshop continues to be an in-house secret.
He said that it is now very difficult to collect animal hair and he was worried about whether he would be able to leave it to his own son.
It is true that the brushes here are more expensive than other brushes for Japanese painting.
However, among the many brushes I have, this studio's brushes are the ones I naturally use over and over again, so I started to use only their brushes five years ago.
The colours in Japanese painting are so fine-grained that the tips of about three brushes are sharpened every time I finish a painting. Normally, sharpened brushes cannot be used, but the brushes from this workshop are easy to use and the colours come through easily even if they are old.
They are easy to use.
I know it is hard to continue traditional crafts, but I hope they will continue to do their best in the future.
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