Basic Introduction to Juque Inkstone
The Juque Inkstone is one of the “Four Famous Inkstones” in China. It combines the advantages of the ancient “Four Famous Inkstones” of China. The stone for the Juque Inkstone is quarried from cliffs along the Jinsha River in the southwestern Sichuan Province (in Pingdi Town and Dalongtan Township, Renhe District, Panzhihua City). This place was historically known as “Juque,” hence the name Juque Inkstone.
Product Characteristics
The Juque Inkstone combines the advantages of both Duan and She inkstones. Its carving techniques include shallow relief, hollowing, round carving, deep engraving, thin carving, and undercutting, forming a rich and diverse style that is both substantial and vibrant. The stone has a rich variety of colors, with particularly notable green jade-like “stone eyes” that are highly prized. Known also as the Chinese Colored Inkstone, it features the extremely lustrous “Jintian Yellow,” which is golden in color, and the “Fengxue Red,” which is white on the outside like clear snow and red within like cinnabar. The stone of the Juque Inkstone is finely textured, smooth and oily when used for grinding ink, capable of preserving ink without spoiling, durable yet gentle on brushes, can be moistened with a breath, and produces a sound like metal or jade when tapped. Its surface is as tender as a baby's skin. Notable figures such as Fang Yi, Zhang Aiping, Qi Gong, Dong Shouping, Huang Wei, Qian Jiaju, Pu Jie, Wang Xiaju, Liu Bingsen, Fan Zeng, Zheng Minzhong, Liu Yanliang, Chen Shenggui, and Xu Mengfeng have written poems and inscriptions praising the Juque Inkstone as a “precious gem among inkstones,” a “jewel among inkstones,” and a “rare treasure among inkstones.”
Historical Folklore
According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times and made inkstones from local stones here. During the Tang and Song dynasties, many exiled officials favored this inkstone, but its development and dissemination were limited due to poor transportation. Later, in the first year of the Xuantong era of the Qing dynasty, Song Guangzhu, the inspector of Juque in Dayao County, took three inkstones to the Panama International Exposition and won an award, gaining fame at home and abroad. In recent years, the Juque Inkstone has won numerous gold awards at the Asia-Pacific Regional Expo and the China Famous Inkstone Expo, and has been selected as a national gift to present to foreign heads of state, including the Emperor of Japan and the President of South Korea.