Johnny Matcha
Suikaen Chasen
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About The Chasen of Suikaen:
翠華園/Suikaen is making Chasens without using any chemicals at all. Before crafting the Chasen, Bamboo is kept in a warehouse for more than two years to naturally remove all the moisture. Every single Chasen that comes from Suikaen is carefully handcrafted using the same process that has been used since ancient times.
Yasaburo Tanimura, is one of only 18 remaining chasen masters. His family has been crafting the chasen for 25 generations, over the course of 500 plus years! The small town of Takayama, in northwest Nara Prefecture, renowned as the only chasen-making community in Japan, crafts these whisks from locally grown bamboo.
These chasen, as opposed to mass-produced matcha whisks, require a great deal of time and talent to create because they are fully handmade without the use of any machinery or chemicals to speed up the bamboo growing, drying, or shaping processes. Takayama chasen, as a result, have finer, more flexible tines and a higher attention to detail, which not only makes them more attractive but also more robust.
These chasen, as opposed to mass-produced matcha whisks, require a great deal of time and talent to create because they are fully handmade without the use of any machinery or chemicals to speed up the bamboo growing, drying, or shaping processes. Takayama chasen, as a result, have finer, more flexible tines and a higher attention to detail, which not only makes them more attractive but also more robust.
The 7 Steps to Make a Chasen:
1. 片木(Hegi): peel one-third of the bamboo skin and divide it into 16 equal parts. Then separate skin and endodermis each of the parts, and cut out the endodermis.
2. 小割(Kowari): divide 1mm divided into 0.4 and 0.6.
3. 味削り(Ajikezuri): Make the all bristles thinner just like your hair.
4. 面取り(Mentori): Shave the edge each of the bristles to round off the corners.
5. 下編み(Shitaami): Separate inner(0.4mm) and outer(0.6mm) bristles alternately with a thread.
6. 上編み(Uwaami): To keep the shape of the Chasen, knit the inner and outer bristles twice.
7. 仕上げ(Shiage): Arrange the each of the bristles to make beautiful shape.
Be cautious when removing the chasens because they are each attached to the inside of the box with a rice-based glue. After removing the chasen, clean the base to get rid of any glue residue and then start by rinsing it with warm water.
