Chasen No. 108 · Dark Bamboo, 56 Tines · Koicha

Naturally dark bamboo · black thread · straight tines · one of a kind

A darker, more rustic chasen: naturally dark bamboo with around 56 straight, sturdy outer tines set in a clean, open sunburst rather than a fine curl, bound in black thread with a short tassel. Its box marks it as a whisk in the style of the Kankyū-an (Mushakōji-Senke) tea tradition — strength suited to kneading a thick koicha.

Hand-cut from a single piece of bamboo in Takayama, Nara — the district that has made Japan's tea whisks for five centuries. We spent three days there going workshop to workshop; four artisans agreed to sell to us, several met through the town's chasen museum where the makers gather. One of a kind — we have only this piece.

Five years from standing bamboo to the first cut, then split by hand tine by tine with a single blade. Why a Takayama chasen costs what it does →

Care: rest on a whisk holder (kusenaoki), rinse in warm water only, air-dry. Never soak or machine-wash.