Chasen Cream No. 3 · Dark Bamboo, 56 Tines · Usucha

Naturally dark bamboo · black thread · around 56 latticed tines · wide flared bell · one of a kind

Deep black-brown bamboo below, olive-gold tines above, bound in black thread. Around 56 outer tines flare into a wide, open bell, crossing in a fine lattice — a generous, forgiving shape that moves plenty of water and suits a broader bowl. Whips a smooth usucha (thin matcha) with ease.

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.