Chasen Red No. 10 · Mint Green Thread, 58 Tines · Koicha

Reserved — held for exhibition, not currently for sale. Email us and we'll let you know if it's released.

Naturally dark bamboo · mint-green thread · 58 sturdy tines · koicha

A deep, dark bamboo handle bound in soft mint-green thread, its tassel falling loose at the collar. In Takayama the binding is tied by a separate artisan from the one who carves the whisk, and the colour is chosen deliberately — this pale green against dark bamboo is that craftsman's choice. 58 tines, thicker and more widely set, arch into a strong open head built to knead a thick koicha. Presented in its red brocade box bearing the Takayama traditional-craft designation.

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.