Forming Tea Whisk

Suikaen is the atelier of Tanimura Yasaburo, a 20th-generation master of chasen-making based in Takayama, Nara Prefecture—the historic heart of the craft. The Tanimura family lineage traces back over 500 years, to the era of Sen no Rikyu and the rise of tea culture under the patronage of feudal lords like Oda Nobunaga. Today, Suikaen remains one of the few remaining workshops that uphold the full tradition of tea whisk making from start to finish.

Every whisk begins with hand-selected bamboo, harvested in winter and air-dried naturally for up to three years. From cutting to final shaping, the process follows time-honored techniques passed down through generations. Suikaen's tools are largely unchanged, and many of its methods are still unwritten—taught by observation and repetition, not instruction. Under the guidance of Master Tanimura, the atelier crafts not only whisks but also scoops and tools, continuing a cultural legacy that fuses utility with quiet spiritual depth. To hold a Suikaen chasen is to feel centuries of Japanese craftsmanship woven into each delicate tine.