Its origins date back to the mid-Muromachi period, when the son of the lord of Takayama created it at the request of Murata Juko, the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony.
From then on, the manufacturing method was kept a secret of the castle lord's family, passed down only to successors as a "single-heir inheritance" technique. Later, however, the secret was passed down to 16 of his main retainers, and has been continuously preserved to this day. Currently, Takayama in Nara Prefecture is the only place in Japan that produces tea whisks.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. "Small splitting" involves making shallow splits with a small knife, and then tearing the bamboo by hand along the fibers.

  2. The finishing touches on the ear of rice include "flavor trimming," "stripping," and "face-flattening."

   

  raw materials

  1. The bamboo used shall be either *Phyllostachys bambusoides*, *Phyllostachys nipponicus*, or *Phyllostachys edulis*.

  2. The thread used shall be cotton thread.

• Work scene

  Work scene

  Let's take a look at the main manufacturing process of TAKAYAMA Chasen (Tea Whisks) which are said to be handcrafted one by one and therefore have their own unique characteristics.

  Step 1: Raw bamboo

  The sticky, two-to-three-year-old bamboo (Hachiku), which is cut in winter, is exposed to the elements during the coldest part of winter, stored, and then cut.
  Hachiku bamboo has gentle nodes and straight fibers, making it easy to work with.

  

  Step 2: Cutting off pieces of wood (hegi)

  Peel off the outer skin from about the upper half of the node.
  Next, use a large splitting knife to split each bamboo in half, creating 16 sections. Fold each section up, separate the skin from the flesh with a knife, and remove the flesh. Thin bamboo is split into 12 sections, medium-sized bamboo into 16 sections, and thick bamboo into 18, 20, or 24 sections to determine the number of bamboo shoots.

  

  Step 3: Cutting into smaller pieces

  Divide each of the 16 pieces into alternating large and small pieces. If you are growing 80 plants, dividing each piece into an average of 10 pieces will result in 160 pieces, and 80 of them will be the final ears of grain.

  

  Step 4: Seasoning

  Immerse the tip of the spear in hot water, then shave the flesh side, making it thinner from the base to the tip. Once it reaches the desired thickness, smooth the flesh side to give it a rounded shape.
  The way you shave the whisk varies depending on its shape.
  The taste of tea is said to change depending on how the flavor is removed, making this the most difficult process.

  

  Step 5: Chamfering

  Take each of the bristles of the finished tea whisk and slightly shave off the corners of both ends to round them off.
  This is to prevent tea from sticking to it.
  When you knit with folded yarn, the downward-facing tufts remain as they are, while the upward-facing tufts open up.

  

  Step 6: Lower knitting and upper knitting

  When you crochet the beveled upper bud with folding thread, the lower bud remains as is, while the upper bud opens up. Wrap the thread around the crocheted bud twice to secure the base.

  

  Step 7: Waist arrangement

  Use a bamboo spatula to push the downward-pointing bristles inward, arrange the bristles, determine the size of the tea whisk, and ensure that the height and spacing of the base are consistent.

  

  Step 8: Finishing

  The bristles are straightened, their shape adjusted, the height and spacing of the bristles are made even, and then they are glued to the box.