JapanDownUnder
large vintage bamboo vase: tea ceremony whisk design, stunning art piece
large vintage bamboo vase: tea ceremony whisk design, stunning art piece
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Love Japanese Style Like We Do
Add a unique touch to your space with this very large Japanese vintage bamboo vase, crafted in the shape of a tea ceremony tea whisk or chasen. This beautiful vase also doubles as a stunning art object. A novel statement piece for your home decor and a must-have for those who appreciate timeless elegance.
The vase was made by Masafumi Kubo at Chikumeido Sabun, a family business that has been making traditional, high quality tea whisks, passing down their skills through generations, for over 500 years. Masaki Kubo (79) and his son, Sayuki Kubo (50), are the 24th and 25th owners of the company.
The vase, an exact replica of the chasen, was made as a novelty item using the same skills required to make the tea ceremony chasen. It even has the purple string with a tassel accent at the base of the prongs.
It can be used as a vase standing either right-way-up or upside down, as can be seen in the accompanying brochure. There is a removable bamboo insert to hold the water and flowers. It was made in three sizes and this is the largest size.
The vase is in very good vintage condition and appears to have been almost never used and well stored.
Besides a vase it also makes a beautiful display item and is sometimes seen as a decoration at the front counter of old Japanese tea shops.
- measures around 33cm (13”) tall x cm 26 cm (10.2”) in diameter.
- weighs 500 gm.
(listing for bamboo chasen vase only)
SHIPPING INFORMATION
- please read our shipping notes in shipping policy.
- we use recycle packaging and wrap for safety, rather than appearance.
ABOUT OUR VINTAGE, ANTIQUE AND OTHER ITEMS
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.
Information regarding the item and it’s age is obtained from dealers and our personal research. We do our best to give you the correct information but please be aware that we cannot guarantee this information.
Please message us prior to purchase with any questions you may have about our products.
TEA WHISK AT CHIKUMEIDO SABUN IN NARA
An essential tool for the traditional Japanese art of tea ceremony, a chasen bamboo whisk is used to foam the green tea in the tea bowl. The tool is said to have its origins in the Takayama district in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture, known as the ‘village of chasen.’ The tea ceremony tool is carefully handcrafted with refined and seasoned skills.
The birth of a chasen tea whisk is believed to date back to the 15th century. Takayama Sosetsu, the second son of a lord of the Takayama Castle in Takayama, invented a chasen whisk per the request of Murata Juko, a friend of Sosetsu and the originator of wabicha simple-style tea ceremonies. He wanted a tool for mixing matcha green tea powder. It is believed a descendant of Sosetsu subsequently passed on the tool to local retainers. Since then, production of whisks has continued in Takayama for about 500 years.
The bamboo used to make whisks is of the hachiku variety from the Kinki region. At the company, making whisks starts with boiling about 13,000 stalks of hachiku bamboo, polishing them and then exposing them to the ultraviolet rays of the sun and cold winds for about a month during winter.
The craftspeople then cut the bamboo, about 2 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter, into 12-centimeter-long sections before peeling the thin outer skin from the bamboo. Next, 16 vertical cuts are made to each section while the bottom part is left alone. They then shave the inner side of the 16 parts and split each of them into 10 finer parts, making 160 prongs on each section. The prongs on the outer side are thicker while the ones on the inner side are thinner.
The next step is the process of ajikezuri. When the prongs are shaven to the right thickness, they are stroked by a paddle to make them curl toward the center. Then the prongs are bound at the base with a thread to support the bottom part. The eight steps are divided among about 50 to 60 craftspeople at the company. Kubo gives a final look and examines the height of the prongs, the spacing between them, the overall shape and other aspects of each product and adds finishing touches.
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