Tango Tanimura

2oth Generation Chasen Maker

Takayama, Nara

One of only three tea whisk making families remaining that has been granted surnames during the Tokugawa period. Hand crafted with meticulous detail, the chasen is skilfully cut from a single piece of Japanese bamboo which is very pliable but durable. The bamboo is slowly simmered to retain its colour, it is then dried in the neighbouring fields and left to age in the store house for a few more years to finally gain it’s unique lustre. The chasen then undergoes the process of continuous splitting into smaller and finer segments, totalling up to 160 prongs for an Urasanke chasen. A delicate process of shaving and rounding off the edges completes the masterful craftsmanship. It is at this point that the soul of the chasen emerges from a humble piece of bamboo.