Kung Te-Ch’eng

Lots of buzz these days about an ink from Noodler’s called Kung Te-Ch’eng. In terms of color, quality and description it has some interesting characteristics. A shade of bluish-purple, it’s not one that particularly lights my fire but it is understandable why many others are excited by it. Reading a couple of reviews and seeing the attached samples gave a good idea of color and performance, and also a couple of ‘watch out for’ tips. The makers of Kung Te-Ch’eng state right off that for the health of your fountain pens this is an ink that must be used with caution. It also has a very strong chemical smell which some may not like, and spilled on anything, this bulletproof (permanent) ink is there to stay, so care must be taken.

What caught my eye before even getting a look at the ink was the name and description. Why did Noodler’s choose the name Kung Te-Ch’eng, that of a contemporary Chinese statesman who died only three years ago? Interesting story. The ink maker’s stated goal was ‘an attempt to replicate the color, depth, behavior, properties and general characteristics of the first royal ink of ancient China.’ According to information offered by JetPens, ink blenders at Noodler’s were interested in China’s royal ink at the time of Confucius. To understand the shade of ink used at the time, experts have examined the remnants of ink stones used by the Chinese Emperors, but information is limited by the passage of years as well as difficulty in getting cooperation from museums and collectors. The preference, according to what has been learned was for a blue-purple. In gratitude for the assistance received in their search, Noodler’s chose to name their ink Kung Te-Ch’eng, the name of the 77th lineal descendant of Confucius.

Kung Te-Ch’eng (1920-2008) was a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of China from 1946 to 1991, helped draft the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China and was a senior advisor to the President of the Republic of China for over fifty years. He was for a number of years director of the National Palace Museum in Taipei and served as President of the Examination Yuan for almost ten years. As a descendant of Confucius, the first character of his name is the same as the ancient philosopher’s.

The royal blue-purple ink of ancient China was of course used exclusively by the Emperor and his statesmen-advisors in recording official policy. Outside of the palace confines, the standard ink at that time was black. Ancient Egyptians and Chinese, both developed ink at approximately the same time around 2500 BC. From long ago Chinese literature has referred to the brush, ink, inkstone and paper as the “four precious things of the library.” Evidence for early Chinese inks similar to the modern ink sticks we see now dates from around 256 BC. The ink was produced from soot and animal glue, using fine particles of carbon lampblack for color, and gum or glue as a binder. It was sold in solid sticks or cakes, either round or rectangular. For writing it was was ground on an inkstone and mixed with water. The finest lampblack is said to come from the burning of vegetable oils but in ancient times the best soot came from burning the wood of specially selected pine trees in an ink furnace which included inverted pottery jars to catch the smoke. The jars trapped the soot which was later removed with feather brushes. The soot was then mixed with glue made from horn or animal hides. Glue made from the horns of young deer was of the highest quality because of its purity. Good ink was dependent upon good glue, giving the ink texture and life.

In reading about Chinese ink I came upon an interesting tidbit about the Chinese Imperial examinations which were given to select those qualified for government posts between the years 605 and 1905. The examinations were very long and each student taking the exam arrived at an examination compound with only a few amenities: a water pitcher, a chamber pot, bedding, food, an inkstone, ink, and brushes.

Examples of Chinese calligraphy on the right:

The first is by Zhang Zuyi (1849-1917) in the style called Clerical Script.

The second example on darker paper is by Chen Hongshou (1768-1822) written in the Running Script style.

Rabbits on My Mind

An old journal reminds me that January 1 of the past year was a morning of cold but fine weather in Tokyo. One year later a similar description could be applied to Florida, maybe a little warmer but another dazzling New Year’s Day.

To all those who have been faithful readers and friends—including those sometime readers as well, I thank you for the support and wish you a year’s allotment of contentment and realized dreams.

Here are two new year cards, past and present wishing all a Happy New Year. The card at the top is 2011, the year of the rabbit. Just below HAPPY NEW YEAR at the top of the card are qualities associated in myth and symbolism with rabbits.

The card at the bottom is another rabbit, this one from some years back, and includes a short poem. The three lines in the center are from top to bottom, right to left:

Fuyu zare ya

usagi no wataru

yamakage ni

The English is something like: In winter’s chill, the rabbit hops across a mountain cove

Studying Japanese calligraphy, scratching down inadequate haiku poems and sitting with an old grandmother who struggled with her student’s attempts at ink painting. Such were the days in 1987.

Another Wolfgang Fabian Design

At first look, it appears to be a desk pen, one of those that fits into a holder on a round or rectangular base, and something we once saw on every banker’s desk. Were it not for the cap with its large and familiar pocket clip, you might not guess you were looking at a Lamy fountain pen—one that despite its shape and length is not a desk pen at all. This is the Lamy Joy Calligraphy Fountain Pen L15, designed by Wolfgang Fabian of Safari and AL-Star fame.

Lamy describes the Joy as, ‘a fountain pen that inspires beautiful, creative writing.’ Mmm…Wouldn’t that be nice? The implication is that it is designed for calligraphy, ‘…for those times when you want to convey an especially personal touch.’ I tend to think a letter or note derives its ‘personal’ feel from the fact of its individual and inky, non-digital, unprinted handwriting, whether it’s beautiful or not, but then, Lamy didn’t ask me to write their copy.

The Lamy Joy is a long quill-like pen measuring 7 inches capped, and 6.7 inches without the cap. It is surprisingly lightweight, made of shiny black plastic. The pocket clip is the same spring brass wire as that on the Safari and the AL-Star, but this time bright red. For visual balance, there is a small red accent on the top of the pen. The ink window is also a repeat of the Safari and AL-Star design. The nib is polished stainless steel with a chisel point, available in three sizes: 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm. The pen comes with a converter and one blue cartridge.

I have the 1.1 millimeter nib, and am quite pleased with the way it writes. It definitely writes a line that looks and feels like calligraphy. My guess is that a little experience with this pen will improve the look of the ‘handwriting’ or even calligraphy, if you want to call it that. My own experience has been with another kind of calligraphy using brushes, and fountain pen calligraphy is pretty ragged in these hands. Still, the Lamy Joy does give a sense of encouragement, and makes you think that with some practice a beautiful flow of inked words is just around the corner.