This is my ink stone. Sumi-E artists say that the inkstone is the soul of the calligrapher. You are supposed to dwell on your choice. This stone is over 140 years old! It is not a show piece, but rather a real stone used for a century and a half. A Japanese importer here had dozens of them on a table in their warehouse. I only dwelled for half an hour. This one really grabbed me. I think it was the fact that it had a lid and was so old. Oh, and the red spot is a previous artists' chop.