Chasen No. 115 · White Bamboo, 48 Tines · Koicha

Pale natural bamboo · black thread · 48 coarse straight tines · one of a kind

A deliberately coarse, wide chasen: 48 thick, widely-spaced straight tines in pale (white) bamboo, bound in black thread — one of the lowest counts we brought back, and the sturdiest build. Fewer, heavier tines mean a whisk that won't splay under resistance, so it excels at a thick koicha and stands up to daily, vigorous use.

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.