Hishaku Water Ladle
Hishaku is a bamboo ladle used during the Japanese Tea ceremony. A ladle is used to transfer hot water into a chawan to warm it up, add cold water from mizusashi to the kama, and, of course, add water to the matcha tea just before whisking it.
There are four types of hishaku:
- Ro - used for the cold season. Their handles have an angle cut facing the top. Ro hishaku also has larger cups.
- Furo - used for warm seasons (mostly summer). Just as a light feeling of summer, furo hishaku have thinner handles and are cut with an angle facing the bottom.
- Kennyo - used for all seasons. Kennyo cups are approximately in between ro and furo cup sizes and their handles are cut straight at the end.
- Sashi-toshi - used for more formal ceremonies. They are unusual because they are made in such way that the handle is going through the cup, instead of being made out of two separate pieces held together by friction as the other three types. That makes sashi hishaku more durable and practical. Sashi hishaku was the original style of hishaku made in the past.
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Infographic: Vlada Morgun
Text: Vlada Morgun