The chasen: how a bamboo matcha whisk is made, and how to use one

A chasen is the bamboo whisk used to make matcha, and almost every step of its making is done by hand. It starts as a single length of bamboo. One end is split again and again into fine tines, and the tines are shaved, curled and tied, so the whole whisk is still one piece. Most of the chasen made in Japan come from Takayama, a village in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture. Kogei Japan, which documents Japan's traditional crafts, dates the craft to the Muromachi period and tells its origin story. Murata Juko, the tea master who founded the austere wabi style of tea, asked Takayama Sosetsu to make a whisk, and presented them to the emperor, who named them Takaho.

How one is made

The main steps in making a Takayama chasen, as Kogei Japan describes them.

Step	What the maker does
Season the bamboo	Cut bamboo is aged one to two years. White bamboo is boiled to remove oil and sun-bleached for about a month
First split	Bark is peeled at one end and the end split into 12 to 24 broad strips, with the pulp removed
Fine split	Each strip is split again into alternating large and small tines. Sixteen strips can become 160 tines, 80 outside and 80 inside
Shave the tips	The tines are softened in hot water and shaved thin at the tips, which changes how the tea feels and tastes. The tip shape differs by tea school
Chamfer	The edges of the outer tines are bevelled
Bind	Thread is wound twice between the inner and outer tines, usually black, sometimes white, yellow or red for particular schools and occasions
Shape	The inner tines, the height and the spacing are set with a bamboo spatula, then the whisk is checked and corrected

Takayama makes more than 60 kinds of chasen, according to Kogei Japan, in white, black and smoked bamboo. Smoked bamboo comes from the roofs and ceilings of old houses, coloured by a century or two of hearth smoke. In 1999 the Japan Times reported that about 60 chasen workshops ran in Takayama in the 1960s and that the village's cooperative had fallen to 24. The village's share of Japan's chasen is often quoted at well over three quarters.

Choosing one

Tine counts are the number people compare. A whisk with around 80 tines is a sturdy, all-purpose choice for usucha. Whisks with 100 or more fine tines make a finer foam but bend more easily. For koicha, a whisk with fewer, thicker tines is easier, because thick tea is kneaded, not beaten. Look for an even curl, tines that spring back, and a tied thread that sits snug.

How to whisk

1. Soak the tines in warm water for a minute. Dry bamboo snaps. Wet bamboo bends.
2. Sift the matcha into a warmed, dried bowl. Ippodo's usucha ratio is about 2 g to 60 ml of water at 80°C.
3. Hold the whisk upright, tips just touching the bottom of the bowl, and move it in a quick M or W zigzag from the wrist, not round in circles.
4. After 15 to 20 seconds, when the surface is covered in fine foam, lift the whisk a little and slow down to break the big bubbles.
5. Draw a small circle and lift the whisk out from the centre.

Caring for it

Rinse the whisk in warm water after use, never with soap, which the bamboo absorbs. Shake it out and dry it on a ceramic holder or standing on its handle, tines down, so it keeps its curve and does not mould. A chasen is a working tool. Tines break with use, and a well-used whisk is often retired after some months of daily tea. Not everyone whisks this way. Breakaway Matcha's tutorial uses a frother and a tumbler for everyday cups. For koicha, and for the finest foam on usucha, bamboo still does it best. Our guide to usucha and koicha covers both.

Questions