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All about Brush
About the type of brushes
筆の造りについて
Brushes come in many shapes, but most are made of two parts: the shaft and the Brush head. The shaft can be straight or “daruma” style, and materials include bamboo, wood, or nowadays resin. The brush head are generally made by layering different types of hairs—core, throat, belly, and outer hairs—in that order to form the brush. If you search “how brushes are made” on YouTube, you can find many videos that explain the process clearly.
About the thickness and length of the brush
The thickness of the brush tip varies depending on the manufacturer — some use numbers such as No.2, No.3, or No.4, while others label them as large, medium, or small.
For ordinary calligraphy brushes, the larger the number (for example, No.2 → No.4), the smaller the brush becomes. However, for Kakizome brushes (used for New Year’s calligraphy), it’s the opposite: the larger the number (such as No.7, No.8, No.9), the bigger the brush. This can be a little confusing.
Originally, brush sizes were expressed in traditional Japanese units such as sun (寸) and bu (分). The current “number system” (No.◯) was later adopted for convenience.
However, there is no standardized measurement that defines, for example, No.4 as a certain millimeter size. Therefore, the actual size of a No.4 brush can vary depending on the manufacturer or the specific brush model.
The length of the brush tip is often categorized as short (tampō 短鋒), medium (chūhō 中鋒), or long (chōhō 長鋒).
As a general guideline:
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Short tip: about 2–3 times the diameter of the tip
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Medium tip: about 3–4 times
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Long tip: about 4–5 times
Again, these are only approximate standards and may differ slightly between manufacturers.
It can be helpful to remember the specific size and proportions of the brush you currently use — this will make it easier to choose a new one that suits your preference.
Preparing Your Brush for Use
Some brushes are sold with the tip hardened with glue, but all brushes should be properly prepared before use.
How to Prepare the Brush:
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Gently loosen the bristles from the tip toward the base. Once fully loosened, knead the entire brush; a white powdery substance (the glue) will come out. Continue kneading until most of it is gone.
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Next, immerse the tip in lukewarm water and gently wash by kneading. The glue will dissolve and make the brush feel slippery; continue rinsing and changing the water until the slipperiness disappears.
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After washing, remove excess water, shape the tip, and hang the brush to dry.
You can use the brush immediately after preparation, but be aware that the water retained in the brush may slightly dilute the ink.
How to wash a brush
How to Clean Large Brushes:
When washing a large brush, use lukewarm water and gently massage the base of the bristles until the ink no longer comes out. Due to capillary action, ink often reaches the base of the brush, so while cleaning the tip is relatively easy, removing ink from the root can take time and patience. Many issues with frayed or split tips are caused by hardened ink at the base, which prevents the bristles from clumping together properly.
Regular cleaning will also help your brush last longer.
How to Clean Small Brushes:
For small brushes where the outer hairs (koshige) are shorter than the core hairs, washing them
like large brushes can cause the white outer hairs to become frizzy. After use, gently dip the tip in
water and wipe off the ink with paper, repeating this a few times until the brush is clean.
Type of materials and their characteristics for Brush
Brush making traditionally relies on a variety of animal hairs, and even within the same type, like horsehair, individual differences lead to unique qualities such as stiffness or springiness. Skilled artisans meticulously blend these hairs to achieve consistent hardness, strength, and resilience in each brush.
However, a noticeable shift in hair quality is occurring, possibly due to changes in animal feed or the soil where it's grown. This is particularly evident in goat hair. As obtaining high-quality raw hair is expected to become increasingly difficult, it's more important than ever to cherish and properly maintain the brushes you currently own.
Below is a summary of common hair types and their characteristics, which we hope will guide you in future brush purchases.
Horse hair
Horses come in three main coat colors: chestnut, white, and black/blue. Most parts of the horse’s body can be used as brush hair.
In particular, the hair at the base of the tail, called tail root hair (owakii-ge 尾脇毛), is highly resilient, with sharp, fine tips, making it ideal for stiff-bristle brushes and mixed-hair brushes. Among these, tail root hair from white horses is considered the highest quality.
The hair from the horse’s body is soft, glossy, and fine at the tip, making it suitable for clothing hair on large brushes as well as the core or clothing hair of small brushes. The abdomen hair of chestnut horses is light brown and soft, referred to as belly hair, and is used for clothing hair. The tail and mane hair serve as strength hair at the base of large brushes.
Hair from horses raised in the United States and Canada is considered particularly high-quality, although it has become increasingly difficult to obtain.
Goat hair
The ideal goat hair for brush making comes from goats raised for food in the lower Yangtze River region of Jiangsu Province, China. The hair from this area boasts superior elasticity, making it irreplaceable by goat hair from other regions.
From a single goat, hair can be sorted into dozens of types depending on the body part it comes from. Notably, "Saikohou" (細光鋒), taken from the nape of a male goat's neck, has long been prized as the highest quality material for writing brushes. Conversely, hair from the back is coarse and has tips that are too close, making it unsuitable for brush production.
Thus, it's possible to create a wide range of brush qualities, from the most affordable to the absolute finest, all from a single goat.
【SaiKoho】 Saikoho refers to brush hair where the tips are fine and distant, yet the base of the hair is firm, providing an overall well-balanced elasticity. Due to the scarcity of this raw material, brushes made purely from Saikoho goat hair are considered top-tier products.
【Saidonkoho】Saidonkoho comes from the same part of the goat as Saikoho, but it's specifically Saikoho from younger goats. Because the hair is finer, it lacks elasticity.
【Saichokuho】 While brush hair from goats generally comes from males, Saichokuho refers to the female equivalent of Saikoho from a similar body part. Because this hair is shorter, the maximum bristle length for brushes made with it is limited to about 5 cm.
【Saichoho】 Saichoho is a commonly used type of goat hair. However, its quality can vary significantly. As such, even within brushes labeled as "Saichoho goat hair brushes," you'll find a wide range of different qualities.
【Sokoho】 Although not considered top-grade raw material due to its short tips and coarse texture, this goat hair possesses natural elasticity. Because of this, brushes primarily made from it are easy to handle.
【Touzumeho】 It's used for small brushes because of its short hair. It has just the right amount of elasticity, making it suitable for kana brushes
【Whiskers】 Because of its strong elasticity, it's mixed in as "koshige" (waist hair) to give brushes more spring.
Weasel hair
For weasel hair, only the upper part of the tail can be used for brushes; other body hairs are too short. Weasels from colder regions generally have longer and stronger hair. The characteristics of the hair vary by region, so we select them based on their intended use. Most weasel hair used in brushes comes from China and Russia, with Russian-sourced hair often referred to as Kolinsky.
As with animal hair in general, male weasels have longer and more elastic hair than females, making male weasel hair ideal for brushes. In Chinese, weasel is called "Huang Lang" (黄狼), which is why weasel hair brushes are known as Langmao brushes (狼毛筆).
Weasel hair is primarily used for small brushes. The maximum hair length is about 8 cm, with the largest weasel hair brushes typically having a bristle length (出鋒 - shuppou) of about 6 cm. Since long weasel hair is very rare, large brushes made primarily from weasel hair are quite expensive.
Weasel hair offers a moderate elasticity and forms a sharp, cohesive tip. It feels good on paper and glides smoothly. Its ability to clearly express "tome" (stops), "hane" (hooks), and "harai" (sweeps) makes it suitable for Kaisho (block script), Gyosho (semi-cursive script), and Kana (Japanese cursive script) brushes.
Currently, obtaining weasel hair has become challenging, leading to soaring prices.
rabbit fur
Rabbit hair is mainly classified into three types: Shigo (Black Hair), Kago (Brown Hair), and Hakugo (blakish brown Hair). All of these hairs have sharp, resilient tips, making them ideal as the vital hairs for fine brushes.
Among them, Ziháo is black, with the sharpest tips and the greatest elasticity, and is considered the highest-quality hair. Huáháo is also black, but upon closer inspection, it has a slightly whitish tint and is regarded as second in quality after Ziháo. Báiháo falls between Ziháo and Huáháo in terms of quality. Despite its name, its color is not pure white but rather light brown.
Cat hair
Cat hair used for brushes is called Tamage. It has moderate elasticity, sharp tips, and excellent ink-holding properties.
Preparing the hair is very labor-intensive: from 100 g of raw hair, only about 5–10 g can be used for making brushes. The name Tamage comes from the slightly spherical shape of the hair near its tip. Generally, white cat hair is called Shirotama, while brown cat hair is referred to as Chatama.
Racoon dog(Tanuki) hair
Due to its sharp, resilient tips and long hair, this type of hair is primarily used as the vital hair for large brushes. In particular, hair with light brown tips, known as Shirotanuki, is rare and highly prized.
Today, most tanuki hair comes from China. However, the Chinese “tanuki” is actually a raccoon dog (mujina) or badger, which is a different species from the Japanese tanuki. The hair quality is slightly coarser compared to Japanese tanuki hair.
Deer hair
This hair is thick and stiff, with sharp, pointed tips. Its base is hollow, which allows it to hold ink exceptionally well. While the hair is very resilient, it tends to lack cohesion, so it is mainly used as strength hair at the base of brush tips.
Hair collected in summer is called summer hair, while hair collected in winter is called winter hair. Additionally, hair from the lower abdomen and inner thighs, known as Shirajin, is considered a particularly fine and rare quality hair.