Takayama chasen (Bamboo Whisk for Matcha)

How Takayama chasen is made

After 2-3 years, the high-quality bamboo used to make Takayama chasen stops growing and begins to become stronger. The bamboo is then cut to remove oil, sun dried during the winter and stored. Takayama chasen are then made using this natural material, the bamboo is pesticide free.

Located in the northwestern end of Nara Prefecture, the city of Ikoma has long been known as a production site of Takayama chasen. The area accounts for 90% of domestic production of tea whisks. The Takayama tea Whisk by Mr. Yasaburo Tanimura of Suikaen is carefully made piece by piece using a traditional art of crafting bamboo whisks that has been passed from one generation to the next for over five centuries.

The beautiful form of these unique items made of 80 bamboo sticks adorned with colorful threads tied in a single knot are eye-catching. They will definitely make your tea time more enjoyable.

笑 (Emi)

A beautiful chasen ornated with a cherry blossom-shaped charm, a symbol of Japan.

縁 (En)

Beautiful chasen adorned with straight interlacing threads forming a checkerboard pattern.

和 (Nodoka)

Elegant chasen with dark green and white dots pattern.

About Takayama chasen

The roots of Takayama chasen go back to the Muromachi era, when the second son of the lord of Takayama castle, Takayama Minbu no Jo Nyudo Sozei, is believed to have make the first chasen. It is said that Murata Junko, the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony, but also a former chief priest of Shomyoji in Nara, came up with the idea to drink powdered green tea and asked his close friend Sozei for help to create a tea-stirring tool. The chasen he made after much labor was praised and named “Takaho chasen” by the Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado.

The Takayama family was extremely proud to receive this honor from the emperor and the technique of chasen making became the story of the Takayama family. The tea ceremony later flourished, and many kinds of tea whisks were created for various tea schools. The technique of making Takayama chasen was passed down as a family secret from generation to generation and Ikoma has developed over the years as the only tea whisk making city in Japan.

Handling precautions

Because bamboo is a natural material and retains moisture, the chasen can grow mold and break. We strongly recommend that you get a bamboo whish holder to air dry nicely the chasen after use and to store it in a cool, dry place.