Natsume or Usuchaki
So what exactly is usucha-ki and why is it often called natsume?
Usuchaki is a type of chaki - the caddy for powdered green tea (matcha), used in tea-making procedures. Chaki can be divided into two major categories: ones made out of ceramic and ones made out of wood or bamboo, and the latter ones are called usucha-ki which are used to make thin tea called usucha.
The most common usucha-ki shape is natsume - shaped as a jujube fruit. It is so popular that any usucha-ki are loosely referred to as natsume. Natsume has a rounded shape that is wider on the top and narrower on the bottom. The most formal - shin-natsume are undecorated and covered in black laсquer, while decorated natsume of different colors are considered to be more informal.
Natsume usually come in three common sizes: O-natsume - big, chu-natsume - medium and ko-natsume - small. Ko-natsume is even used as a chaire (ceramic chaki) to hold matcha of better quality to make koicha.
During different tea-making procedures natsume are used to present matcha, though keep in mind that natsume caddies are not airtight and not made for long storage of matcha tea. Matcha can also leave marks on urushi lacquer if left for a long time. Before the tea-gathering, the host puts a portion of matcha into a natsume and presents tea during the ceremony in it. When chaji or temae is done - the host transfers the tea in long-storage container. Usually, the original packaging the tea came in works best, but you may also purchase a separate metal or ceramic container for long store, but make sure to never use glass wares for this.
Even though the most common shape of usucha-ki is natsume, there are a few other shapes that you can see quite often. Hira-natsume - natsume that has a flattened shape, Nakatsugi - where the lid and body join in the middle, Fubuki - that has its top rim beveled, and Rikyu-gata - a shape favored by Sen no Rikyu (a historical figure that with the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony). In addition to that there are 13 other common shapes. New shapes are rarely introduced since most tea utensils (dogu) are created by heads of tea schools, and they tend to not change much, but rather preserve tea culture.
To use usucha-ki you need to do a few simple things:
Use it often and gently polish the outer layer using fukusa - a silk cloth.
Be careful with it, though lacquer in which usucha-ki is covered is strong, but still can be damaged and scratched.
Keep it in a humid place - lacquerware doesn’t like places that are too dry. It is better to keep it wrapped in a paper in its wooden box to keep lacquerware moisturized.
Usually usuchaki is cleaned by carefully wiping out the tea with a tissue, but in rare cases you may want to wash it in warm clean water. Carefully dry your natsume and don’t leave it in direct sunlight. If you leave your natsume soaking it will damage the lacquer, same with the sunlight, so it is better to wipe it dry after washing and keep it off the direct sunlight.
If you don't have one yet - I highly recommend to get a natsume. It will greatly elevate your tea offerings!
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Infographic: Vlada Morgun
Text: Vlada Morgun