inkstone

/ˈɪŋkˌstoʊn/
noun
  1. A flat stone slab used in East Asian calligraphy for grinding solid ink sticks into liquid ink.
    • She poured a few drops of water onto the inkstone and began to grind the ink stick in a circular motion.
    • Before writing the poem, he prepared the ink by rubbing the ink stick against the inkstone.
    • The calligraphy master carefully selected an antique inkstone from his collection.