Sumie 墨絵

Ink wash painting, also known as literati painting is an East Asian type of brush painting that uses black ink—the same as used in East Asian calligraphy, in various concentrations. For centuries, this most prestigious form of Chinese art was practiced by highly educated scholar gentlemen or literati.

Names used in the cultures concerned include: in Chinese shui-mo hua (水墨畫), in Japanese sumi-e (墨絵) or suibokuga (水墨画^?), in Korean sumukhwa (수묵화), and in Vietnamese tranh thuỷ mặc (幀水墨).Ink wash painting uses tonality and shading achieved by varying the ink density, both by differential grinding of the ink stick in water and by varying the ink load and pressure within a single brushstroke. Ink wash painting artists spend years practicing basic brush strokes to refine their brush movement and ink flow. In the hand of a master, a single stroke can produce astonishing variations in tonality, from deep black to silvery gray. Thus, in its original context, shading means more than just dark-light arrangement: It is the basis for the beautiful nuance in tonality found in East Asian ink wash painting and brush-and-ink calligraphy.

Ms Hiramoto is noted as an excellent Suibokuga artist.

Her long exerience of living abroad and working for the international volunteer group is reflected in her lively and flexible teaching method appreciating each member's talent and interest,which is clearly shown in their work.