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White Bamboo Chasen Tea Whisk, Shinkazuho

Wood & Bamboo
Craft Artist
Tango Tanimura
ORIGIN
Takayama, Nara Prefecture
SIZE
H110 mm
MATERIAL
White bamboo

The unsung hero of the tea ceremony

For more than 500 years, the tradition of making chasen (tea whisks) has been passed down in Takayama, Nara Prefecture. Master craftsman Tango Tanimura is the 20th-generation head of the Tanimura family, which has preserved its techniques unchanged for centuries. In earlier times, their tea whisks were supplied to the Tokugawa shogunate as well as to court nobles and feudal lords. Even today, the chasen remains an indispensable tool for preparing matcha, and is beloved by tea practitioners around the world.

Each Tanimura whisk is made from carefully selected high-quality Japanese bamboo. After one to two years of meticulous preparation, including boiling, drying, and other processes, the bamboo is hand-carved with a small knife from base to tip using refined skills passed down over generations. The finely cut prongs naturally spread apart, achieving both strength and flexible resilience. By binding thread at the base and separating the prongs into inner and outer layers, the whisk takes on its three-dimensional form.

This double-layered structure allows for smoother whisking and produces a fine, creamy froth that enhances the flavor of the tea. The red and white binding threads add a subtle beauty to the delicate bamboo. A chasen like this is truly an exceptional piece, perfectly suited for preparing an elegant bowl of matcha.

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