The talented Sumie painters of Kousyuuya Studio in Nikko, Japan can paint the body of a dragon with a single stroke of the brush.
The artistic style known as ‘hitofude ryuu’, which translates into ‘dragon with one stroke’ is a technique that has been around for roughly four generations.
Watching painters create a perfect dragon with full detail and shades in a couple of seconds is a true delight. To create a single dragon painting, the Sumie artists first make the ornate head with various flourishes, using a smaller brush. Then, they dip a much larger sumie brush into the desired paint color and simply swipe it across the canvas in one swift movement. You really have to watch a video to realize the brilliance of the technique.
