Page 39 - BSAM 2016 Q4

We have consistently heard from Western students of Japanese suiseki, that Japanese stones are never treated with oils or waxes and that they are always natural and aged with the process of yoseki. Howev- er, we learned several years ago that some Japanese stones, especially those coming from the earth, that the nal stage of cleaning involves the use of a so pliant wax from the Ibota beetle. is is placed in a so cotton cloth and then rubbed on the surface of the stone. When we ask Mr. Sakurai if he ever used oils or waxes, he responded by saying that he does apply natural oil to many of his dark stones and then leaves them outdoors for at least one month before he will sell it.
We asked one nal question. Why did you do this? e driving motivation for Sakurai was nancial. It was a very pro table business. He was probably the most nancially successful of all the professional stone
carvers. For a period of several years, he could not manufacture enough suiseki to meet the demand. One day he sold over 300 stones to an engineer working on the construction of the Narita airport in the early 1970s.
Sakurai continues to make suiseki today even though the peak of suiseki popularity has long passed. He saw several of his stone carving friends close their businesses as demand dropped sharply and the sup- ply of inexpensive suitable stones became di cult to obtain.
It is time to dispense with the myth that Japanese suiseki are all natural and recognize that a signi cant number of the stones held in collections and shown in exhibitions have been worked to some degree. Despite that, a carefully worked stone can have all the attributes sought a er in a ne suiseki and can be appreciated as much as a natural stone.
Top and bottom; The Japanese practice of cultivating stones outdoors or yoseki will develop a nice patina on some types
of stones, but not all stones. It is also an e ective method of eliminating signs where a stone has been worked.
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