IKOMA, Nara Pref. -- "It is totally handmade and finely crafted work, but no matter how well it is made, chasen (a bamboo tea whisk) is a commodity with a limited life span," says Keizo Kubo, 59, who has been manufacturing the tea-ceremony utensil for 36 years.
"And it is because of that, that the chasen should be made to last, feel good in the hand and form a fine froth. You will find out how good our chasen are when you actually make green tea on a daily basis," said Kubo, who owns Chikusendo, a chasen factory, and who is a chairman of Takayama Chasen Production Cooperative.
Chasen is used in the tea ceremony to whip a mixture of green tea powder and hot water into froth. It is made of a piece of cut bamboo, about two-thirds of which is finely split with the tips slightly curled toward the center.