Matcha whisk / viola bambù / shin

This Matcha Whisk is made entirely by skillful Japanese craftsmen.
Why don't you experience Japanese culture by making authentic matcha tea with a real Matcha Whisk?


・Only 5 whisks can be made in a day!
Although mass production is the norm in recent days, all matcha whisks are made by craftsmen, and they can only make about 5 tea whisks in a day.
The process of making a tea whisk consists of splitting bamboo cut to about 10 cm in length into more than 100 pieces with a special blade, shaving it, and weaving the threads to complete the process.
All of these processes are done by hand and fingers, without the use of machines.

・How to Select a Chasen
In generally, a tea whisk with a small number of prongs is used for dark tea and a tea whisk with a large number of prongs is used for light tea. Therefore, you should choose a Chasen according to the tea you want to make!

Bamboo

SUIKAEN

"One matcha whisk for each family"

In order to make the tea whisk more familiar to people, we have been producing new types of tea whisks such as using colorful threads or adding charms to the whisks, while keeping the traditional manufacturing method, overcoming my father's objection.
We want to make the tea whisk so familiar in daily life that people in Nara always have a tea whisk in their homes. Our goal is to have one in every household!

ARTISAN STORY

Keiichiro Tanimura / Suikaen
After graduating from high school, Keiichiro Tanimura left his hometown to study in the U.S. and worked in a Japanese company. However, with a desire to "contribute to my hometown by taking over the family business that has been passed down from generation to generation," I started my apprenticeship as a tea whisk master under my father, the third generation Suikaen master.

TAKAYAMA CHASEN / TAKAYAMA BAMBOO TEA WHISKS

About 500 years ago / 1500s / Muromachi Period (1336–1573)

Takayama tea whisks are traditionally traced to the mid-Muromachi period, when tea pioneer Murata Juko asked a member of the Takayama ruling family to create a tool for whisking tea. The method was guarded for generations, and Takayama developed into Japan’s best-known center for chasen.

In Japan, a tea whisk is a consumable tool, yet it directly affects the texture and foam of matcha. Different schools and uses call for different numbers and shapes of tines. Today chasen remain essential to tea ceremony while also reaching people making matcha casually at home.

A single piece of bamboo can be split into eighty, one hundred or more delicate tines while remaining one piece at the base. The tips are shaved, separated and woven with thread, transforming one plant stem into an extraordinarily precise whisk without glue or assembled parts.

Individual Differences

As each piece is individually handcrafted, slight variations in color, pattern, shape, and texture may occur. These subtle differences are a natural characteristic of handcrafted works, making each piece truly unique. We hope you will enjoy these individual variations as part of the beauty and character of Japanese craftsmanship.

Production Time

If an item is not currently in stock, it may be made to order by the artisan. As each piece is carefully handcrafted, production may take several months depending on the item and the artisan's schedule. We appreciate your patience and understanding.