Chasen - the humble yet most important handmade tool for matcha preparation.

If there is one tool you need for preparing matcha, then it is a chasen. Almost all teaware required for matcha preparation can be swapped for an alternative that is usually available at home. For instance: chawan --> bowl, chashaku --> tea spoon, chakin --> tissue/towel, natsume/chaire --> the container the matcha comes in. The only tool which cannot be swapped (in our opinion) is the chasen.

Similar to when choosing a matcha, when choosing a chasen the first thing you want to make sure is that it is “made in Japan” (almost all of them are made in Nara). Chasen making requires careful craftsmanship and the knowledge of gradual improvements passed down over generations.

While we understand that a cheap chasen can be very tempting to purchase, there is a lot that goes into the price paid for a quality one. We have worked with the 20th generation chasen master Tanimura Tango for almost five years and have made a few visits to his house and studio in Ikoma city, Nara prefecture. His family have been making chasen for over 500 years. Through working directly with various tea school masters over the generations as well as direct communication with tea makers, he continues to further improve his work in the pursuit of perfection. His desire is to bring an ease of mind for people preparing tea, whether it is a casual tea time at home or a formal tea ceremony. By supporting such craftsmanship you are also supporting the hundreds of years of traditions and culture.

Speaking of chasen made outside Japan, we found out from chasen master that a large quantity of these chasen are made by people that have no knowledge of Japanese tea ceremony and some may have never even used a chasen to prepare a bowl of tea before. In Japan, after harvesting, the bamboo is cleaned, sun dried, and left to age for around 3 years before being ready for chasen making. To say it is time consuming would be an understatement! This is where some makers of ‘chasen’ (if you can call them chasen) cut corners. The low cost can be a result of the bamboo not being treated properly and in some occasions the bamboo may be treated with bleach to fake the white bamboo colour which should take years of ageing, or with pesticides and/or a silica gel packet in the container to prevent mold growth. We really cannot imagine using a chasen that has been treated with bleach or pesticides to whisk matcha. These practices are not only causing damage to the business, but the traditions and the art of chasen making.

Chasen are known as ‘shoumouhin’ in Japanese which roughly translates to ‘consumable product’. Eventually you will need to buy a new chasen, though we find Tanimura Tango’s are particularly long lasting and easy to use. For someone who is preparing matcha at home and treats their chasen with care (mainly cleaning and drying properly after each use), they can last for many years. For example, there is a chasen that we first started using 3 years ago – initially for personal use, but after about a year it entered into our rotation of chasen at the teahouse, and is now retired. The chasen used more regularly at the teahouse last for many months before needing to be replaced.

It may be interesting to know that:

Because chasen are consumable products, they are the only tool in traditional tea ceremonies that are not engraved with the maker’s name. You may be thinking that chashaku are not engraved either, but for the chashaku’s, the acommpanying case is engraved instead.

The type of bamboo chosen is usually determined by the school that they follow. For example, white bamboo chasen are used for Urasenke while black bamboo chasen are used for Omotesenke. Of course if you are practicing at home for casual drinking purposes it is not necessary to take bamboo colour into account, but chasen master hopes that even people new to matcha preparation will choose to use a quality chasen.

His shin kazuho chasen (thin tines) are best for preparing usucha and shin araho chasen (thick tines) are best suited for preparing koicha - which is kneaded slowly rather than whisked rapidly.

With each chasen bought from us, there is a leaflet from chasen master included with some information on how it was made, and also a page from us with information on how to take care of chasen. We hope our customers will find enjoyment during tea preparation not only with the delicious final tea but also through the preparation itself and the utensils used. A quality chasen plays a large part in this - on top of being a functional tool each one is also a work of art.

One little tip: after using and cleaning chasen, do not store in the box or container that it comes in, as mold may grow if stored when wet. Store on a kusenaoshi (chasen holder) after a brief drying period of a few minutes.

Feel free to send email to info@cha-ology.com if you have any questions!