The tradition of calligraphy has always been associated with the act of writing in Iran, and even when the writers had limited literacy, calligraphy and writing were still intricately linked. But with the advent of printing and the emergence of computer programmes and digital fonts, this art gradually declined and the emphasis on pure readability replaced the observance of both readability and aesthetics. This resulted in a decline in the appreciation of calligraphy among the new generations. The safeguarding of the Iranian calligraphic tradition thus became a major concern in the 1980s, and a national programme was developed for this purpose by non governmental organizations in collaboration with the government. This programme aimed to expand informal and formal public training in calligraphy, publish books and pamphlets, hold art exhibitions, and develop academic curricula, while promoting appropriate use of the calligraphic tradition in line with modern living conditions. Some of the work on this programme was started by the Iranian Calligraphers Association before the 1980s, and given its immense popularity, the public sector turned it into a national programme by redefining and coordinating it on a large scale based on the experiences of the public and private sectors.

Iran 2021

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Sagyeongjang can refer to either the art of copying Buddhist texts or to the masters of this art. Sutra copying enjoyed its heyday during the Goryeo Dynasty when Buddhism gained widespread popularity. During the reign of King Chungnyeol, the Goryeo court dispatched to China hundreds of Buddhist monks trained in sutra copying. Although sutra copying declined during the Joseon era with the adoption of Confucianism as the governing philosophy, the Buddhist practice lived on with the support of certain royal family members and Buddhist temples. The ink transcription of the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra) from the Unified Silla era, designated National Treasure, is the oldest surviving artifact in Korea testifying to the sutra copying practice. The art of sutra copying is generally comprised of three parts: transcribing text, reproducing byeonsangdo paintings, and decorating the cover with a design of Buddhist figures or plants. It is further divided into 10 different steps: color formation with gold powder, glue making, surface treatment of the paper, paper cutting, connecting paper sheets, line drawing, writing text by hand, drawing byeonsangdo paintings, decorating the cover with a drawing, and treating the cover with gold powder. It demands expert knowledge of calligraphy, Chinese characters, Buddhist theory, and painting. Furthermore, intense concentration over long periods is essential. * Sagyeong (寫經): The practice of transcribing Buddhist scriptures or the resulting transcripts. Sutra copying is intended to disseminate Buddhist texts or cultivate merit. * Byeonsangdo (變相圖): Paintings illustrating the teachings of the Buddha

The unique water quality and mild climate of Jing County in Anhui Province in eastern China are two of the key ingredients in the craft of making Xuan paper that thrives there. Handmade from the tough bark of the Tara Wing-Celtis or Blue Sandalwood tree and rice straw, Xuan paper is known for its strong, smooth surface, its ability to absorb water and moisten ink, and fold repeatedly without breaking. It has been widely used in calligraphy, painting and book printing.

China 2009

Regong Arts mainly refer to Buddhism formative arts such as Thangka, mural, barbola, sculpture on which Tibetan and Tu folk handicraftsmen depend to pass on their making knowledge and manual technical skills. The content of Regong Arts consists of Tibetan Buddhism, mythical stories, epics and traditional knowledge. And the main painting materials include painting cloth, painting brush, dyestuff, prepared Chinese ink, red soil, silk and glue. Thangka, mural, barbola, and sculpture are widely used in Tibetan Buddhism temples and farmers’ or herdsmen’s houses. Every handicraftsman has his own fixed place to make material objects. Regong Arts have originated in 13th century and stemmed mainly from Tibetan Mantang school. After they were introduced into Regong area, Regong Arts have formed an important distinctive school of Tibetan Buddhism arts. Regong Arts have various forms with unique features. 1. Thangka, the pronunciation of its Tibetan counterpart, refers to religious scroll paintings which are used to worship Buddha, myths and figures who invented some useful technology after being mounted with colourful satin. The main technological process of making Thangka is as follows: first, the fine white cloth or coarse linen should be stretched on a wooden embroidery frame; secondly, base powder and thin glue sheet are used at the bottom and polished; thirdly, according to the content, the painter draws an outline with charcoal pencils made by himself about religious figures, birds and beasts and flowers and trees, etc.; fourthly, the painter puts the glue into various natural minerals and animals or plants dyes, and then he uses these painting materials to draw the picture with the special painting brush; finally, the finished picture is mounted carefully. Thangka is famous for its sophisticated workmanship, contents and bright colors in the world. 2. Barbola is a kind of Thangka made from silk fabric. Its main forms are Barbola Thangka, Barbola veiling, Barbola column ornaments etc. It is made from silk and brocade where pictures, figures, animals and plants are accurately cutting and sewn. Its techniques and effects take place in two forms: soft relief which combines folk embroidery and filled relief; and pasted and patched soft fabric which are cut to make different forms. Barbola has the strong stereoscopic image. 3. Regong sculpture comprises clay sculpture in addition to wooden sculpture, stone inscription, brick sculpture etc. Clay sculpture takes place in two forms: multi-colour and single-colour. Its process includes selection and finalization, clay processing, keel structuring, filling in, outline shaping, partial adjustment and inlaying gold lines or colour painting etc. Rafters, vaults, sunk panels, column ornaments, and tubular lections in temples and door curtains, credences, tea tables and lection cabinets in farmers’ or herdsmen’s houses are all sophisticated wooden sculptures. Stone inscription is that lections are imprinted on the slates or figures of Buddha are made in an intaglio plate. In addition, there is relief used in the stack of lection stones. After being created, Regong Arts are passed on generations by generations. Regong Arts are manual skills grasped by some villagers. Based on the special art forms, they combine traditional knowledge with history memory and come the Arts down. The art forms are widely recognized by dwellers in Tibetan communities and traditional craftsmen in China. At present, 520 folk artists engage in the artistic creation of Regong Arts. Passing on the Arts mainly takes place between fathers and children, or between masters and apprentices. Inheritors can be monks or folk artists. When learning Thangka, Barbola or sculpture, the painters must strictly follow the Buddhism painting book Lection of Measurement, starting from line-drawing, figure shaping, colour matching, pattern design and sizing. Regong Arts are featured with the unification of Tibetan Buddhism and traditional culture. Its influence can be found in surrounding provinces such as Tibet, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Sichuan, and even South-eastern Asian countries.

China 2009

"Tattoo" a tattoo on the body that uses a needle or a sharp metal with black or red ink to permanently mark on skin. In Cambodia, tattooing on the body is a popular tradition, especially among the army and martial arts practitioners. For them, this tattoo is not for decoration, but a combination of magic to protect themselves in battle. People who know how to get tattoos are usually shaman may be respected elders, or may even be monks who know how to teach magic from their fathers or teachers. Traditionally, almost 100% of the students (who come to get tattoos) are men. It is rare to see women getting tattoos, as mentioned above, most people who get tattoos likely are soldiers or martial art practitioners. Tattooing is done at a shaman's house or at a pagoda if the tattoo artist is a monk because there are altars in those places. They can get a tattoo on any day, but it is believed that getting a tattoo on a holy day or a full moon is even better. The sacrificial offerings for getting tattoos included chom, mlu, betel nut, cigarette, candle, incense sticks, flowers, perfume, white skirt, money, and so on. Before getting a tattoo, the student must state his/her intention to get the tattoo so that the shaman can decide which Balinese to cast. Most of the Balinese chosen for tattooing are self-defense devices, such as bullet-proofing armor, stealth, non-cutting, non-burning, anti-witchcraft, and anti-demon and charms or commercial charms which is Youn Moha Niyum, and so on. During the tattooing process, both the shaman and the student must meditate and concentrate to avoid making mistakes, otherwise, it will be difficult to erase. Not only that, students have to pray constantly to absorb Balinese. As for the shaman, he also recited the Bali word for tattoo. The ink used for the tattoo is extracted from battery ink (some burn car tyres or motorbike inner tubes to make charcoal) and mix it with wine or sugar cane juice. Tiger milk is even more special. The most advanced tattoo artist, would simply draw a line on your body and design the tattoo right away. But those who are not so good at it, need to draw the tattoo first before putting the prepared ink on the drawing. To prevent perspiration, they apply a small amount of powder over the tattoo site. In case the tattoo is complicated and cannot be completed in a day, they have to wait until the skin recover before the tattoo can be continued. After getting the tattoo, you have to recite the blessing immediately without any offerings, just light incense sticks to commemorate the shaman. But if the students want to prepare the offerings again, they can prepare a bowl of water scented with good smell flower or just with perfume smell is enough. There is no need to add any offerings more than this. After the blessing, the teacher should tell the students what to refrain from. That can vary from shaman to shaman. Some people are forbidden to eat taro, banana tree, dog meat or walk under cloth lines, under a house, or under a carambola tree. It is believed that if a student does not respect others, he or she may become insane. If so, they have to invite the tattoo shaman to come and pray for the student to recover. Nowadays, there is a new types of tattoos to beautify the body, not to protect oneself, and even women like to get tattoos. Such tendencies may be influenced by foreign factors. The tattoo is not a Roub Yant, it has all kinds of tattoos to suit your tastes. As for the tattoo, there is no need to pick a time, there is no need to prepare, there is no need to recite magic when getting a tattoo and there is no need to do anything.

Sho-na or in other words Thing-sho is an especial product of De-zo with blue or indigo colour and shining black writing surface. This paper is particularly manufactured for gold, silver, copper and bone ink. Though the making process is quite identical, the unique is it uses indigo colour while making paper pulp. For making Sho-na, it requires different tools, ingredients and processes that most of the paper makers don’t know therefore, it is expensive compared to ordinary daphne paper. Unlike ordinary paper, Sho-na usually comes in manuscript form with three different sizes mainly in length base; 1)\tDatshedma (length of an arrow) 2)\tTershedma (a foot) 3)\tDomang and Bum (nearly a metre) Examining the records of golden scriptures (Ser-dri-ma) that were held in Dzongs, monasteries, temples and even in some wealthy individuals across the country, the oldest of all according to its oral sources is the 9th century golden scripture was brought from Tibet. However, in Bhutan, the writing golden scriptures thrived in the late 17th century after numerous Spiritual Masters had initiated writing their master’s biography or autobiography in gold using Sho-na paper. It is not that one cannot write golden scriptures in an ordinary Daphne paper but, the visibility will be poor as gold and paper’s colour does not match very well. Therefore, to make clear visibility Sho-na are used for writing gold, silver and copper inks. The papers are normally prepared on demand by the Sho-na makers. Sho-na making seems to be disappearing and there are only countable manufacturers in the country. The cause of declining no of the practitioner is due to the rarity of the Gold Script writing project.

Ink or Ink making is also an art related to the art of Calligraphy and writing. Like the calligraphy pen, ink is one of the fundamental needs while undertaking any kind of writing, printing, paintings including the engraving works as it need to be either sketch or write the primary writings before actual engraving is initiated. Therefore, it is an art that a calligrapher or a xylograph printer must know how to make ink by themselves. Nag-tsha or more often Nag-tse is a general term for any types of Ink used for the aforementioned activities but also referred particularly to the normal ink i.e. the black ink. As majority of the writings are written using the black ink thus, the usage of the term dominated the verities of inks be it gold, silver, copper, turquoise or vermillion. However, if somebody make quires like, “What types of ink?” the response will be referred to a definite ink like “gold, silver, copper, turquoise, vermillion, blood and normal ink.” However, due to the massive usage of normal black ink whether it is made from sooth or other black colour ingredients for writing and printing; not only the woodblock prints but also prayer flags therefore, the term Nag-tse (black ink) have been used as a general term for an ink. As mentioned above, Ink and pen making technology evolved simultaneously with the invention of writing culture. As Bhutan highly regards Guru Padmasambhava and Denmang Tsemang (?) one of his principal disciples who transcribed the teachings and gave the scripture for the practice of King Sindhu Raja and later said to be hidden as treasure in early 9th century. Later in the 15th century, Terton Pema Lingpa (1450-5121) resumed the writing tradition along with pen and ink making to decipher the treasure document mentioned as Shog-ser and also for woodblock printing purpose. The tradition met its thriving period in the 17th during Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal’s (1594-1651) reign after he instituted the State Government by established the Monastic Body and introduced the Calligraphy section (Yig-zoi-de) where monks learnt the art of calligraphy and ink making as well. Ink making was not only or writing but also required for making xylograph prints from the woodblocks stored in the respective Monastic Institutions esp. in the Dzongs (Fortress). Thereafter, the art was perpetuated and practiced by the successive Je Khenpos (chief abbot) and Druk Desis (temporal secular rulers) and Monarchs which is still surviving at a very small space due to the availability of modern inks from the market.