This black urushi lacquer natsume (matcha caddy) is made from wood in the fubuki (雪吹) style, with a cylindrical shape and bevelled top and bottom edges. This name might be confusing for Japanese speakers because the word fubuki, meaning snowstorm or blizzard, is typically written like this:吹雪 . But in the case of the tea container the kanji are reversed: 雪吹. One theory is that this name mimics the confusing shape of the fubuki itself, where you can’t tell the top from the bottom, and are disoriented as if you were caught in a blizzard.

Natsume are lacquered wooden containers which are primarily used to store and present the matcha used for making usucha (薄茶 - thin tea). This distinguishes them from chaire, ceramic vessels which are used to hold higher-grade tea suitable for koicha (濃茶 - thick tea). As such, these lacquer containers should generally be referred to as usuchaki (薄茶器 - thin tea vessel) or usuki or chaki for short, but they are often referred to by the name of the most popular type, the natsume (棗 - chinese date/jujube).

Because most natsume are not airtight, they are not suitable for long term storage and are only intended for presentation and heightening the tea making experience.

Dimensions:

6.3cm (2.5in) - width
6.4cm (2.5in) - height
100ml - capacity

Condition: Very good (lid has a looser fit)

This vintage Japanese item ships from the United States