19 Essential Japanese Tea Ceremony Utensils

by Anne Walther | CRAFT

The Japanese tea ceremony, known as chanoyu (茶の湯, literally “hot water for tea”), elevates the practice of drinking tea to a fine art and a unique communal experience. But it is not only the tea itself that creates the enchanting aesthetic of the ceremony. Even the humblest tea ceremony involves a number of tea-related objects, known as dogu (道具 - tools), which vary according to the season and occasion.

So if you’re wondering what you need for a Japanese tea ceremony, here are the essential tea ceremony utensils you need to know.

1. Chaire / 茶入 – Tea Caddy for Thick Tea

Usually oblong (but shapes may vary) the chaire traditionally featured an ivory lid with gold leaf underneath. Chaire are frequently ceramic, and are kept in decorative bags named shifuku (drawstring pouch, see below).

The chaire is used when preparing thick tea, named koicha (thick tea). As the chaire is a high-ranking piece in the tea implements, it is purified (ritually cleaned) with the fukusa (silk cloth) before handling the matcha.

2. Chakin / 茶巾 – Hemp Cloth

The chakin is a white, rectangular hemp or linen cloth used by the host to ceremonially clean the chawan (tea bowl) after a guest has finished drinking the tea and has returned the vessel.

During preparations, the chakin is cleansed, then carefully extended to avoid any creases, and folded two times over the length and two and one-third in width. It is then kept moist in the chawan (tea bowl) with the chasen (tea whisk) and the chashaku (tea scoop) until the tea preparation begins. Different types of chakin are used for thick and thin tea.

3. Chasen / 茶筅 – Tea Whisk

© Morten Rand-Hendriksen / Creative Commons, Chasen

Carved from a single piece of bamboo, chasen are needed to prepare powdered green tea. Made of fresh, dried, or smoked bamboo, their heads are either fine, medium, or rough. The type of chasen depends on the kind of tea served, koicha (thick tea) or usucha (thin tea), and on the tea school.

4. Chashaku / 茶杓 – Tea Scoop

Chashaku with Inscribed Container, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian

Sculpted from a single piece of bamboo or ivory, the chashaku is a key instrument to spoon the required amount of matcha powder. Bamboo chashaku usually have a nodule in the center. They are used to scoop tea from the chaire (tea caddy for thick) or from the natsume (tea caddy for thin tea), and to place it into the chawan (tea bowl). Various colors and styles can be found, depending on the tea school, season, and traditions.

5. Chawan / 茶碗 – Tea Bowl

Tea Bowl with Dark Glaze by Chojiro, late 16th century, MOA Museum of Art, Atami — Tea Bowl with Dark Glaze by Chojiro, late 16th century, MOA Museum of Art, Atami

Thick and thin tea require different chawan, in various sizes and styles. In summer, shallow bowls that allow the liquor to cool swiftly are preferred, while deep bowls are used in winter to keep tea hot for a longer time. Often named by their creators or their owners, handmade and highly valuable antique bowls are still in use today and some can be centuries old. Irregularities and flaws are distinguished: they become the "front side" of the chawan. Broken or damaged bowls restored with kintsugi (lacquer and gold powder) are mainly employed in November, when the ro (sunken hearth) season begins, as an illustration and celebration of the concept of wabi (humble simplicity).

To find out more about Japanese ceramics, check out our A-Z guide to Japanese Pottery, or take a look at Everything You Need to Know About Rakuware!

6. Fukusa / 袱紗 – Silk Cloth

A square silk cloth used for the ritual purification of the chashaku (tea scoop) and the natsume (tea caddy for thin tea), and to hold the hot kama (kettle) lid, the fukusa is sometimes employed by guests to protect the tea objects whilst viewing them (these special silk cloths are called kobukusa or dashibukusa, see below). Fukusa are often monochromatic and without any pattern. Men usually use purple fukusa while women have orange or red ones. Some schools use variants with brocades or patterns, while other prefer to use plainer ones. The way of crafting fukusa was supposedly established by the second wife of the Father of Tea: Sen-no-Rikyu.

7. Furo / 風炉 – Portable Brazier

© Christian Kaden / Creative Commons, Furo at Nobotokean Temple, Kyoto

Used in spring and summer, furo have a variety of shapes. The most primitive ones were made of bronze. Later, clay and iron braziers became popular. For a formal ceremony, an unglazed clay furo coated with black lacquer is favored and set on a lacquered board to avoid burns, whereas an iron furo is usually placed on a paving tile. On the periphery of the furo, an opening provides draft to keep the sumi (charcoal) burning well. The kama (kettle) is placed directly on the bronze or iron brazier. A trivet is added in the case of a clay brazier.

8. Futaoki / 蓋置 – Kettle Lid and Ladle Rest

© Christian Kaden / Creative Commons, Preparing Matcha with Hishaku, Futaoki, Chasen, Chawan, Dashibukusa, Natsume and Chashaku

When the tea ceremony begins, the futa (kettle lid) is placed on the kama (kettle) to keep the water warm. The hishaku (bamboo ladle) is positioned on the futaoki until the host takes the first cup of hot water from the kama. Then, the kettle lid is placed on the futaoki.

Some futaoki are crafted out of bamboo, with a nodule in the middle. Others are made of ceramic or porcelain.

9. Hishaku / 柄杓 - Ladle

A prolonged bamboo ladle with a nodule in the middle of the handle, the hishaku is used to pour hot water from the kama (kettle) to the chawan (tea bowl) when making tea. In specific ceremonies, it is also used to transfer water from the mizusashi (freshwater container) to the chawan (tea bowl) and the kama.

Different sizes of hishaku are used, according to ceremonies and seasons. A larger ladle is employed for ritual purification before entering tearooms, temples, and shrines.

10. Kama / 釜 - Kettle

© Kyoto Women’s University, Shinnari Kama with Seashore and Pine Design, Nagano Wazuku Iron Kama

Used to boil water for making tea, a kama is generally round and cast from copper or iron. Its lid is removed when starting to make tea and set back when guests have finished their tea. Lids are formed at the same time as the body and fit perfectly. However, they can also be made of brass, bronze, copper, or silver. Kama may be transmitted from one generation to the next and bear special names derived from their history.

11. Kaishi / 懐紙 – Paper Napkin

© Hiloyaman[JP] / Creative Commons, Kaishi Paper, Nerikiri Japanese Sweets

Kaishi paper are carried by the guests and sometimes by the host. A small pack of kaishi paper is kept in the front of the kimono, near the chest. When the invitees are presented with sweets, they are placed onto the kaishi paper.

12. Kensui / 建水 – Wastewater Container

Kensui, Yatsushiro Ware, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian

Made of clay, metal, or wood, a kensui is a vessel into which used water is poured after the chawan (tea bowl) has been cleaned. Some kensui are lacquered. As handling wastewater is considered to be an impure task, a clean kensui is used for each tea ceremony.

13. Kobukusa / 古帛紗, or Dashibukusa / 出帛紗 – Silk Cloth

A kobukusa of about 6” square is usually made of a more elaborate, thicker brocaded fabric than the fukusa (silk cloth). Hosts and guests should bring their own. If wearing kimono, the kobukusa is kept close to the chest. Invitees that are not sporting kimono can bring it in a special wallet named fukusabasami. The kobukusa is sometimes employed by guests to protect the tea implements while holding them in their hands to admire them.

When koicha (thick tea) is served, a patterned silk cloth is placed under the chawan (tea bowl), especially if the latter is antique or valuable. For this reason, kobukusa are also named dashibukusa ("fukusa for serving"). During the tea ceremony, guests might view the dashibukusa and ask about its name or origin.

14. Mizusashi / 水指 – Cold Water Container

Mizusashi with Pine Trees by Ogata Kenzan, ca. 1720, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Made of ceramic, glass, metal, or wood, the mizusashi is a lidded container for cold water. It is mostly used to refill the kama (kettle) at the end of specific ceremonies. A ceramic mizusashi will sometimes have a lid made of lacquered wood.

15. Natsume / 棗 – Tea Caddy for Thin Tea

Natsume, ca. 1850, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Named after its resemblance with the natsume (jujube) fruit, this tea caddy has a flat lid and a rounded base. Generally made of lacquered or unprocessed wood, it is used for usucha (thin tea) ceremonies. Regarded as a high-ranking tea implement, the natsume is consequently ritually cleansed with the fukusa (silk cloth).

16. Sensu / 扇子 – Folding Fan

Pureland Sensu, Available at Japan Objects Store

During the tea ceremony, the sensu is not actually used as a fan! The sensu is never opened before, during, or even after the Japanese tea ceremony. Instead it is placed in front of the knees when greeting the host or when bowing, as a polite gesture.

17. Shifuku / 仕覆 – Drawsting Pouch

Made of damask, kantou (striped silk), or silk gold brocade, the shifuku is a protective bag for the chaire (tea caddy for thick tea). A chaire can have three to five distinct shifuku, which can be adapted to the occasion and to the invitees. This drawstring pouch is a valuable implement in the tea ceremony.

18. Ro / 炉 – Sunken Hearth

© Adriano / Creative Commons, Ro and Kama

Used during autumn and winter, a ro requires a specific hole in the tatami floor in which to place the kama (kettle). The latter is encircled by a box-like frame that will warm up more rapidly and stay warm longer. The practice is slightly different from the furo (portable brazier) ritual that takes place in spring and summer.

19. Yakan / 薬缶 – Water Pitcher

© Nam2@7676 / Creative Commons, Yakan Kettle

The yakan is used to replenish the mizusashi (cold-water container) at the end of the tea ceremony. The same quantity of water will be poured back into the mizusashi from the yakan.