The blog
Stories, guides and curiosities about suiseki, sumi-e ink painting and Japanese culture, told from our workshop in Calabria, Italy.
What is a suiseki: a guide to the Japanese art of viewing stones
A natural stone that holds a whole landscape. What a suiseki is, what the word means, how to recognise one and why it is displayed on a daiza.
The history of suiseki: from China to Japan, all the way to Italy
From the scholars' stones of China to Zen culture in Japan and the exhibitions of Italy: more than a thousand years of the art of stones.
Types of suiseki: how Japanese viewing stones are classified
Mountains, waterfalls, islands, huts, animals, patterned stones: how suiseki are classified, with their Japanese names and how to recognise them.
The daiza: the wooden stand that completes a suiseki
Without a daiza it is a stone; with its daiza it becomes a work of art. What the wooden stand of a suiseki is, how it is carved by hand and why it is unique.
How to choose and display a suiseki at home
Where to put it, what light to use, what to pair it with: simple tips for choosing a suiseki and displaying it at home, even without a tokonoma.
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