Aiya Tea Bowls, or Chawan, are all hand made by skilled artisans in Toki city, Gifu prefecture, Japan. Each tea bowl is made according to the historic designs of Mino Yaki. This means that although the general design is similar, each bowl is unique in form. The asymmetry of each bowl was carefully designed to reflect the beauty of imperfection, or beauty of nature that is firmly ingrained in the philosophies of Zen Buddhism.
A bamboo whisk, or Chasen, is the essential tool needed to make a bowl of Matcha. A stalk of bamboo is carefully spliced into 80 (100,120) bristles and tied by string by hand. Skilled craftsmanship passed down through generations is needed to make each whisk, as this item cannot be made mechanically even using today’s most modern technology.
The bamboo scoop, or Chashaku, is the traditional tool used to measure out the powdered tea to make Matcha.
A firm stalk of bamboo is split and curved at the end using pressurized steam and a lot of patience.
Note: the bamboo scoop shouldn’t get wet – please always wipe it with a dry clean cloth.
These porcelain whisk holders imported from Japan help preserve the longevity of your whisk by keeping its shape and allowing for better air circulation for air drying after use.
A Natsume is the traditional container for Matcha tea. For a tea ceremony it would not be appropriate if Matcha tea was taken out of a standard aluminum tin. So, for ceremonial purposes and for decoration the Japanese always use a natsume.
Aiya tea mini or picnic bowls, also called chawan, are all hand made by skilled artisans in Toki city, Gifu prefecture, Japan. Each tea bowl is made according to the historic designs of Mino Yaki. This means that although the general design is similar, each bowl is unique in form.
The asymmetry of each bowl was carefully designed to reflect the beauty of imperfection, or beauty of nature that is firmly ingrained in the philosophies of Zen Buddhism.
We offer a selected variety of tea pots. In line with the Japanese way of drinking tea, all pots only hold one to two cups.
