Chasen No. 103 · Dark Bamboo, 60 Tines · Usucha

Naturally dark bamboo · black thread · wide, open form · one of a kind

A chasen (matcha whisk) cut from naturally dark, richly mottled bamboo and bound in black thread, its head opening into a wide, generous crown of around 60 fine outer tines with only a gentle curl. An easy, forgiving whisk that moves plenty of water for a smooth, even usucha (thin matcha), with the openness to reach the bottom of a wider bowl.

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.