King of stone stamping material "Taho" [Stone stamping material 3]

● What is Taoishi?

Taoishi is the king of stone stamping materials. Many of the stones are by far the most expensive compared to other stones, but the prices are also quite different, as there are quite a few old and new ones on the market.
Because of its value, there are a lot of counterfeits and it is often taken as authentic. These points may also be the characteristics of being a champion.

So what does Tao mean in the first place? In fact, Tao is one of the stones. Taishi refers to stones that can be found in paddy fields in the mountains of several kilometers square called Kotobukiyamago. There is an area called Takozaka in Shoushanxiang, and the stones that can be obtained from it are called "Takoishi".
Unlike other stone materials, Tao seems to have rolled in this Tao slope and the rice fields near this slope. (Other stones are usually collected through mining.) These are said to have been exhausted in the early Qing dynasty of China, but it seems that they are still excavated today.
However, in reality, it is like searching for a gold vein, and it seems that many people go bankrupt.
China is a truly mysterious country. There is a lot of information going around us, but there are still many things we don't know about the truth.
There is no substitute for attractive stones anyway, so please take a look around. However, as far as Tao is concerned, unfortunately there are very few (almost no) bargains like other stones.

● Types of Taoishi and connoisseurs

It is said that Tao has the six virtues of warm, jun, fine, yui, koshi, and 膩. This means "the highest quality stamping material".
It is often said that you must have a radish crest, red radish, and yellow skin, but I think you should use this Rittoku as a guide.
This is because radish crests and red streaks may appear on other stones.
In addition, Tao has various names because of its color.
Golden yellow, chicken oil yellow, tachibana skin yellow, ripe chestnut yellow, 枇杷 yellow, katsura yellow, gold hugging silver (gold back silver), silver hugging gold (silver back gold), etc.
There seems to be a ranking by this. Below are a few photos.

● Liu Shan's idea

As you can see in the picture above, each stone has its own characteristics, and at the same time, the color is something that people like and dislike. It may not be said that it is a good material just because it has the name Tao. It can't be said that Tao is the only first-class item that fits in the museum. I think it's more fun to think about this and that, and I think it's better not to stick to such names and types, but to choose by your favorite color shape, button, etc. think.

Of course, old and first-class products are so shivering that I want them, but the prices are completely different. It is in the millions of yen (tens of millions are also rough). Even small items cost hundreds of thousands of yen. Even so, when I touch other stones and actually pick them up, I feel that they are worth it.
In addition, this stone has a great balance of viscosity and hardness, and has the best carving taste.

There is no doubt that if you want to collect stone stamps, one is the stone you want to have. However, on the other hand, it is difficult to obtain, and I have failed many times with this stone.
Please refer to this picture and challenge Tao here and there to find Taoishi that you think is the best.
If you get a good one, please send me a photo again. We look forward to hearing from you.

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