Because it contains ink, there is a depression. Therefore, inkstone is also called inkstone, inkstone field, ink pool, ink sea and ink pan.
Among the "pen, ink, paper and inkstones", the inkstone ranks last, but it is called "the first of the four treasures". Because its texture is solid and can be passed down for generations, and it integrates calligraphy, poetry, painting, and sculpture, it is loved by literati. As a grinding instrument, the inkstone, together with pens, ink, and paper, played an important role in spreading and recording Chinese culture.
Inkstones went through the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties. Starting from the Tang Dynasty, stones suitable for making inkstones were discovered in various places, and inkstone production began to be mainly made of stone. Among them, the inkstones made of Duan stone from Duanzhou, Guangdong, She stone from Shezhou, Anhui Province and Taohe stone from Lintao, Gansu Province are called Duan inkstone, She inkstone and Taohe inkstone respectively. Historical records refer to Duan, She and Lintao inkstones as the three famous inkstones.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chengni inkstones from Shanxi were listed as the four famous inkstones in China along with Duan, She and Lintao. Some people also advocate that the Xu Gong stone inkstone among the Lu inkstones carved from natural inkstone should be used instead of the Chengni inkstone, which is collectively known as the four famous inkstones.
Extended information
The use of inkstones was relatively common in the Han Dynasty, and a large number of them were handed down. In 1973, a tomb of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty in the 11th year of the Yuan Dynasty (169 BC) in Fenghuang Mountain, Jiangling, Hubei Province, also unearthed a complete set of stationery such as pens, ink, and stone inkstones. Many Han tombs were unearthed with inkstones, indicating that inkstones were used at that time. The need to grind with a grinding stone proves that the inkstone was originally a grinding device, and it still retained this nature until the Han Dynasty.
According to the unearthed data, the inkstones of the Han Dynasty were either made of pottery or stone. Most of them were round in shape and had three legs. Some of the feet were carved with flowers, and some were made of animal feet. Simple and simple, there are also turtle-shaped inkstones. In the Han Dynasty, inkstones were used to grind ink blocks into toner and dipped in water to write.
Han people sit on the floor, so there are more three-legged inkstones. After the Han Dynasty, with the development of ink-making technology, ink could be ground directly on the inkstone, and grinding stones were no longer used.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Inkstone