Chikumeido is headed by Kubo Sabun (久保左文), a 24th 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. One point unique to Kubo Sabun's chasen is the gentle gradient from the skin to the inner bamboo halfway up the tines. Clasically, there is a hard line where the outer skin ends and the exposed inner bamboo begins.
Unlike mass-produced matcha whisks, these chasen are entirely handmade, without the use of machines or chemicals to expedite the bamboo growing, drying, or shaping processes, requiring immense time and skill to craft. As such, Takayama chasen have finer, more flexible tines and a greater attention to detail, which not only makes them more beautiful, but also easier and more enjoyable to use and more durable in the long run.
