茨城県大子町小久慈は硯石の産地として江戸時代初期から知られており、約400年の歴史があります。江戸時代には将軍家への献上硯として用いられました。徳川斉昭公も小久慈の硯をこよなく愛し、この硯石が国にとって吉兆であることを願い、小久慈の音訓をとって「国寿硯」と命名したといわれています。

KokujI in Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, has been known as a source of inkstone since the early Edo period, with a history of about 400 years. During the Edo period, these inkstones were offered to the shogunate. It is said that Tokugawa Nariaki also deeply cherished KokujI inkstones and, hoping they would bring good fortune to the country, named them “Kokuju Suzuri,” taking the meaning from the kanji of KokujI, symbolizing longevity for the nation.