竹の菓子切Bamboo Kashikiri dessert knife

「茶の湯や和菓子の世界では、黒文字(菓子ようじ)としてお馴染みの菓子切りですが、それらは使い捨ての存在で、活躍の機会が多いわりに軽く扱われがちなのが残念です」と、竹工芸家の初田徹さん。「竹には一本一本、一節ごとに個性があります。とくに私が削る菓子切りや茶杓の素材となる煤竹は、日本の古民家で百数十年を経過した古材だけにいっそうつよい個性があり、竹それぞれに歩んできた長い歴史があるものです。素材との対話をていねいに繰り返しながら、少しずつ削り出していきます。彼らの個性を残しつつも、均質な使い心地に削ることが出来れば、まず成功」。

煤竹の落ち着いた古色ある艶、竹の表皮にあらわれる自然の景色はなんとも美しいもの。長く使ってもらうことを念頭に作られた器や竹の菓子切りは、口あたりやさしく、茶席にふさわしいのはもちろんのこと、日々の暮らしにも彩りを添えてくれそうです。

‘The Kashikiri dessert knife is familiar as Kuromoji (a pick for sweets traditionally made of Lindera umbellata wood) in the world of tea ceremony or Japanese sweets. It is, however, a pity to see that usually they are not noticed so much because they are disposable, even though they are used often.’ says bamboo artist Toru Hatsuta. ‘Each bamboo, each joint of bamboo has a characteristic. Old smoked bamboo, the material with which I carve Kashikiri dessert knives or Chashaku tea scoops, has a particularly strong characteristic. It is a vintage material, which has spent more than one hundred years within an old Japanese house. Each piece of bamboo holds a long history. Corresponding carefully with the material, I try to carve it little by little. If I manage to carve them in such a way that it feels even when we use them, while keeping their original characteristics, it is a success.’

It is so beautiful to see the matured gloss of the old smoked bamboo, and the natural landscape emerging on the surface skin of the bamboo. Bamboo bowls or Kashikiri dessert knives, which were made for long-lasting use, have a soft touch to our mouth. They are not only suitable for tea ceremonies, but can also add extra colour to our everyday life.

煤竹の菓子切「ささのは」Old smoked bamboo Kashikiri dessert knife ‘Sasanoha’

竹工芸家 初田徹 Bamboo Artist Toru Hatsuta

Website: http://www.toruhatsuta.com