During the Joseon Dynasty, many Koreans kept the so-called “Four Friends of the Study” (paper, brush, ink, and inkstone) close at hand. 

For them, making ink by grinding an ink stick on an inkstone and writing with a brush was a natural part of daily life. 

Letters sent to family members or friends, Confucian scriptures transcribed as a form of discipline, diaries reflecting on the day, and plaques with building names all faithfully reflect lives of the people who wrote the calligraphy.