Gourd-shaped Cherry Bark Tea Scoop

This wooden chasaji (茶さじ - tea scoop) is shaped like a gourd and was made using the traditional kabazaiku (樺細工) technique in which a thin veneer of hand-scraped and polished cherry bark is carefully applied to a wooden core.

Made by Tomioka in Daisen, Akita Prefecture.

The Kabazaiku (樺細工, also 桜皮細工) technique of hand-scraping, polishing, and pasting wild cherry bark is unique to Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, where the technique was brought to the town of Kakunodate (角館) in Akita by the Satake family of samurai in the 1700s.

To clean, wipe with a dry cloth. As the cherry bark is uncoated, it will absorb moisture, which is ideal for tea storage. However, this means that any water that gets on it should be wiped off immediately.