The principal aspects of Zen painting and the sumi-e method are explained in this book with a simple and poetic language. The materials used in this method of painting, such as solid ink, stone ink pots, bamboo brushes, and cloth paper, are explained in detail, as are the brushstrokes and techniques specific to each of the four noblemen--the bamboo, the prune, the chrysanthemum, and the wild orchid--with the goal of finding the way to creative expression...