Function and measure
The chashaku (茶杓) is the curved bamboo scoop used to move matcha from its container into the chawan. A level scoop is about 1 g, though the variation between pieces can be 20 to 30%. For anyone after precision, a 0.1 g scale is more reliable.
In the tea ceremony the chashaku does more than measure: the gesture of lifting the matcha, the tilt over the bowl, the small shake to release the last grain, are all part of the visual protocol that makes up the ceremony.
Which one to buy, and when you do not need one
A chashaku is an 18 cm piece of bamboo. There is not much to check beyond whether it is really bamboo and whether the listing says how much it holds. The 18 cm bamboo chashaku, in a pack of two (see the price on Amazon) states 100% natural bamboo, the traditional 18 cm and a dose of 1 to 2 grams.
We rule out a cheaper one because its spec table says wood rather than bamboo and the manufacturer part number is, literally, the German for shoehorn. When a listing has been copied from another product, none of its figures are worth anything.
That said, if what you want is precision rather than ceremony, the chashaku is not the answer. With a 20 to 30% variation between pieces, a scale that reads to the centigram costs the same and gives you the exact dose every time. The Brencco 500 g scale reading to 0.01 g (see the price on Amazon) reads 0.01 g, ten times finer than the 0.1 g this guide asks for, and has a tare function to subtract the weight of the bowl.
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The chashaku as an art object
In the Japanese tea tradition, chashaku carved by recognised masters carry a name of their own, given by the maker or by the tea master who commissioned it, and are collected. The most prized are made of old bamboo with a visible node, carved from a single piece. Some historic chashaku come with documentation of their making, the names of those who used them and the poems attached to them.
Materials
- Natural bamboo (takezo): the traditional material. Every piece is unique. It darkens with use and takes on a patina that connoisseurs value.
- Smoked bamboo (susudate): bamboo artificially aged in smoke, dark brown. Much prized in formal ceremony.
- Wood: uncommon in Japan, frequent in Western market tools. Functional, but without the bamboo tradition behind it.