CHAKI
also called Usucha-ki or Natsume
Matcha Tea Caddy: Chaki, or Natsume come from the jujube fruit which they are said to resemble.
Since Natsume are used for 'thin tea', they are the first chaki that a tea student
learns to use.
A tea caddy or container for storing powdered green tea (Matcha). The matcha
container is frequently made of lacquered wood with matching lid, but bamboo
and ceramic examples also exist. The oldest type was cylindrical with the
top and bottom rounded. Many chaki resemble the shape of a ripe olive
or a Chinese date and therefore called natsume. The usual size is
7cm high and 7cm in diameter. However, there are some chaki, called
hiranatsume, which are larger in diameter but shallow. Many chaki
are lacquered with gold and silver designs. Therefore, to protect the surface
they are kept in special bags called shifuku.
The Chaki are relatively small lidded containers, into which the Matcha is
placed before taking it into the chashitsu (tea room)
and from which the matcha is scooped into the tea bowl in preparation for serving, and thus are key items in the Japanese tea ceremony.
This is a Ryukyu (Okinawa) Urushi tea caddy with beautiful palm tree design. A lacquerer named Haneda Goro, who lived in the era of Higashiyama
Culture and did lacquer work for Ashikaga Yoshimasa, is credited as the originator of this style of container for powdered tea which at first was black-lacquered.
Records of tea gatherings held by Sen Rikyu reveal that he used natsume, and that in his day natsume were used for koicha (thick tea).
In mint condition.
Age : pre 1980
Size : 6.5cm width x 6.5cm height
Approx. Value : $180.00
