Soak chasen in warm water before use for a few minutes to soften and unfold the bristles. When preparing the matcha in a chawan try to avoid touching the walls while whisking to preserve its shape and prevent bristle breakage. After use, soak the chasen again in warm water and repeat until the powder is removed. Once clean, shake of excess water and allow the chasen to air dry completely – this is best done with a chasen kusenaoshi stand/shaper – otherwise leave to dry whisk side down to avoid water collecting in the handle, which could lead to mould. If mould does develop, place in boiling water for a few minutes and then make sure to dry properly.
Matcha Whisk
Mushakōjisenke
Takayama
SKU
5444
Yoshi En has recently grown out of Sunday Natural to become an independent premium tea store. As part of this transition, some products may still be shipped in Sunday Natural packaging.
Original handmade matcha whisk made from black bamboo from Tamayaka, the most famous place of origin of the tool. The shade and shape of the black bamboo (kurotake; 黒竹) are typical of the tradition of the Ura-senke Chado school.
| Type | Matcha whisk (chasen) made from black bamboo |
| Origin | Takayama, Japan |
| Dimensions | 12 x 6cm |
| Weight | Approx. 14g (handmade; exact weight may vary) |
| Material | Bamboo |
| Production | Handmade |
In stock
Chasen 茶筅
Hand-carved from a single piece of flexible and robust bamboo, the chasen is a whisk used to mix powdered matcha tea with hot water. There are slight variations in style and colour depending on the shape and number of tines (bristles), as well as the type of bamboo it is made from. Each school of Japanese tea has their preferred style of chasen according to the season, style of tea ceremony performed, and type of tea bowl or chawan used – but in general, regular, thin usucha tea is whipped and frothed using a whisk with 80 to 120 tines, while thicker koicha is kneaded with a chasen of 70 to 80 rougher tines to smoothly blend the larger quantity of powdered tea.
