The Bamboo Whisk; It's History and Background

Consider the chasen

If we were to imagine the most iconic item of the matcha toolkit, most of us would probably think of the bamboo whisk – a kind of peculiar and very particular tool used solely for matcha preparation, and one which is indispensable to preparing proper matcha, too. Well, this unique tool has a story to tell, and today we will look at its fascinating origins!

 

The bamboo whisk; a history

Tea and tea culture in East Asia has gone through many different epochs. It has been boiled in cauldrons whole, it has been pan-fired, it has been amplified with flower blossoms, and also formed into bricks. It was this last form, the brick form, that led to the development of tea powder and later on matcha as we know it today.

Back during China's Tang dynasty bricks were the common mode of tea but by this time had already started to become passe. It was time-consuming to break apart each brick before brewing the leaves. So some tea lovers who preferred a more expedient cuppa decided to just pulverize the dry bricks and use the powder for tea.

This method came into vogue during the incumbent Song dynasty, and to get as much flavor out as possible and to ensure each now broken and powdery leaf was completely immersed, brewers decided to use wooden spoons to whip and whisk the water.

The practice migrated to Korea and then to Muromachi Japan. Tea culture was spread to Japan via merchants, dignitaries, and most notably, Buddhist monks. It was monks in particular who helped to develop the method of whipping and whisking powdered and pulverized tea, forming a set ritual around its preparation.

While the mainland Sinosphere began to move on with other methods of tea preparation and tea culture, namely switching from bricks to pan-fired loose-leaf tea, Japanese tea culture became somewhat fixated on preparing powdered tea.

The Muromachi period which ruled during the 13th century saw the development of the tea ceremony and with it a set of specialized tools and equipment. However, the tea ceremony was also dominated at this time by the wealthy elite. Wanting to democratize the tea ceremony, Murata Juko set forth the rules and prescriptions for the tea ceremony, the Wabi-Cha, with the common people in mind and included the use of a specialized, hand-carved, bamboo tea brush for whisking the matcha.

Not a fancy or expensive utensil from China but rather a simple and humble item one could feasibly craft oneself, the first bamboo whisk (chasen) was crafted by Takayama Minbunojo Nyudo Sosetsu. Takayama’s attention to detail and skilled work even earned him the respect and admiration of the emperor himself. The emperor at first nicknamed the chasen the “Takaho” but over time the name “Takayama Chasen” became more prominent, with Takayama Chasen being considered some of the finest chasen around.

 

A special whisk

Fast forward a bit and the chasen has cemented itself as a key utensil of the Japanese tea ceremony and a centerpiece of matcha preparation and culture as a whole today. Luckily, the chasen is not confined to the ancient past but is an item we can enjoy in the present. In fact, why not give a bowl of matcha a whisking today? Courtesy of your chosen chasen!