This handmade hishaku (柄杓 - water ladle) is made by made in Takayama, Nara by Yasaburo Tanimura (谷村弥三郎) of Suikaen in the kennyō (兼用 - dual purpose) style. In between furo and ro styles, this all-purpose type has a intermediate sized cup and a straight cut end to the handle. It is made of two pieces of hand carved bamboo, expertly fitted together without glue or fastenings to form a watertight seal.

Bamboo is sensitive to humidity, and will shrink if the atmosphere is too dry. Bamboo also expands when soaked with hot water, so if the cup and handle are loose when dry, they will swell and become tightly fitted when used.

The hishaku (柄杓) is a bamboo scoop used to measure and transfer water during a temae. Today, temae hishaku come in four different styles: ro (炉 - hearth/cold season), furo (風炉 - brazier/warm season), kennyo (兼用 - dual purpose), and sashi-toshi (差し通し - pass-through).

Suikaen is headed by Yasaburo Tanimura (谷村弥三郎), a 25th generation chasen maker who has carried on his family's 500 year old tradition and is one of the only 18 remaining chasen masters. These whisks are made from locally grown bamboo in the small village of Takayama (高山) in northwest Nara prefecture, famed as the only chasen making village in Japan. In addition to chasen, Suikaen also produces other bamboo utensils for chanoyu, including chashaku, hishaku, and kuromoji.

Please note! The box this product currently comes packaged in is now red (not the white as pictured).

Dimensions:

43cm (16.9in) - width
6.5cm (2.6in) - height
100ml - capacity

Condition: New

This Japanese item ships from the United States