also: ぼっきゃく
noun
literary artist; writer; painter
A somewhat literary term for a person engaged in the arts, especially calligraphy, painting, or writing. Not an everyday word; often used in refined or classical contexts.
彼は当代きっての墨客として知られている。
He is known as one of the foremost literary artists of our time.
この地には多くの墨客が訪れ、作品を残した。
Many writers and painters visited this place and left their works behind.
Composed of 墨 (ink) and 客 (guest, person), suggesting a person who works with ink. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese to refer to calligraphers, painters, and writers.