翠華園 SUIKAEN - SG60 Limited Edition Chasen [Vanda Miss Joaquim]

Specially designed by 翠華園 SUIKAEN for Singapore's 60th birthday.

This triple pink threaded chasen in white bamboo, with a sakura-coloured ume musubi (梅結び) soft charm is inspired by Singapore's national flower "Vanda Miss Joaquim" orchid and thus aptly named so.

This is a Singapore only (of course) rare limited edition release with a very small quantity available.

The soft charm features Mizuhiki (水引) which is an ancient Japanese artform of knot-tying, meant to ward off evil, bring fortune and is a token of celebration. The knot here uses a special weaving technique called ume musubi (梅結び) in which no ends of the knots can be seen and is a knot that cannot be undone. As such, this sakura coloured charm symbolises strong intertwining bonds, good luck and resilience.

 

 

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Due to the time consuming process, skills required (and thus manpower shortage) and bamboo shortage, Suikaen 翠華園 produces only about 4000 chasens per year. The waitlists are long and production lead times are usually more than 6 months.

Matsu Matcha is deeply honoured as one of few places to represent Suikaen 翠華園 and to distribute these beautiful works of art which are embedded with immaculate craftsmanship and history.

• Traditional Chasen and Chashaku are handcrafted in the small village of Takayama (高山) in Nara (奈良) prefecture, where the history of chasen making originated from
• Suikaen (翠華園) is only 1 of 14 chasen makers in Japan, and comes from a rich family history of chasen makers of more than 500 years.
• Currently helmed by 25th generation Chasen Master Yasaburo Tanimura and his son, 26th generation Chasen Master Keiichiro Tanimura (photo selfie with Keiichiro-san)
• Each chasen in this bundle kit is 6 years in the making:
  • Each bamboo is averaged 3 years old when they are harvested in winter 
  • Once harvested, these bamboo are boiled to remove natural oils within the bamboo
  • The bamboo are then placed outdoor in the sun for 1-2 months in which the ultraviolet rays change the colour of the bamboo from green to white. As a result, while time consuming, this colour bleaching process is all natural.
  • The sun bleached bamboo are then stored in the shed to cure, for another 3 years, going through 3 cycles of seasons, so as to better improve flexibility and durability.
  • The bamboo then goes through a 7-stage process before a chasen is born. Please refer to the attached video for the transformation.
  • The threads for each chasen are completed by a small number of artisans and are averaged 75 years old (how?!)
  • No chemicals are used, all natural imperfections of the bamboo are retained. Strictly no dessicants. This is because any use of chemicals and/ or dessicants can affect the taste of the matcha whisked.
• Due to the natural bamboo and handcrafting process, subtle imperfections can occur, making each piece truly one of a kind. 

We hope you can experience this beautiful heritage.