| Name | Hishaku 柄杓 ("ladle") |
|---|---|
| By season | Ro: larger cup, end cut on the inner face / Furo: smaller cup, cut on the outer face |
| Note | Garden (tsukubai) ladles are a different item |
Water ladles are ancient ritual objects, but tea refined the bamboo hishaku into a centerpiece of the procedure, with dimensions that change between hearth and brazier seasons.
A fresh white-bamboo ladle is itself hospitality — its clean pallor honors the guest, and long use turns the cup a warm amber.
Held in the "mirror ladle" pose, as if reflecting one's own heart.
Pour in a single thread; what remains never returns to the kettle.
In the brazier season, the ladle is drawn back with extended fingers — a famously graceful move.
Cleanliness comes first at tea; treat secondhand ladles as practice or display pieces.
Dry storage splits the cup; check the handle for bowing.
Identify by the end cut and cup size, and match your season of practice.
One-piece cup-and-handle ladles rank highest; check joint precision otherwise.
Once the shop is connected, pre-loved water ladles available now will appear right here.