Things That Connect Affection — The Tea Caddies of Kakunodate Denshiro

It was only recently that I began wanting a tea caddy.

It's a tool for everyday use, and yet I had been making do with empty bottles, or refilling emptied tins from gifted tea with whatever leaves I had on hand. After moving house, my daily life changed, and I came to treasure the time spent drinking tea with my family. That's when I became interested in tea caddies—vessels that keep tea leaves tasting their best. As I looked into tea caddies, I discovered many things about tea leaves themselves that I hadn't known before.

In our "Things That Connect Affection" series, we introduce items that someone has used with care over time—items whose affection, in turn, passes on to someone else. This time, we'd like to introduce the tea caddies of Kakunodate Denshiro.

At first glance, this is a rather understated tea caddy. But as you bring it into your daily life and use it day after day, you gradually come to appreciate its charm. This tea caddy has that kind of quiet, mysterious appeal.

Photo, left: Tea caddy (medium-tall), shimofuri-gawa (frosted bark)
→ The rough, unpolished texture of the cherry bark itself.

Photo, right: Tea caddy (medium-tall), muji-gawa (plain bark)
→ The bark is polished to a shine, bringing out the striking pattern of the trunk grain.

What the Characteristics of Kabazaiku Mean for Tea Leaves

Kakunodate Denshiro is a brand of Fujiki Denshiro Shoten, a workshop that has been making kabazaiku (cherry bark craft) in the town of Kakunodate, Akita Prefecture, since its founding in 1851. Kabazaiku is a traditional craft native to this region, made using the bark of mountain cherry trees. The bark is peeled from the trunk and left to dry for more than two years before use. Because the bark has moisture-resistant and moisture-retaining properties, it was once used to make containers for medicine and gunpowder, and today it is used to make tea caddies and box-shaped items.

Tea leaves are a relatively delicate food, easily affected by temperature, light, and humidity—prone to discoloration and to losing their flavor and aroma. The high moisture resistance and moisture retention of kabazaiku tea caddies, along with their ability to regulate airflow, make them well suited for storing tea leaves.

Tea leaves are tea leaves, whatever kind they may be. The fact that kabazaiku tea caddies are "well suited for storing tea leaves" doesn't mean they're limited to Japanese tea. Black tea and Chinese tea are also made of tea leaves, so whatever you put inside, this caddy will keep it properly stored.

Where the Craftsman's Skill Shows
From the seams of the tea caddy to the snug, satisfying fit when the lid closes, this is a piece where you can feel the meticulous handwork of the craftsman.

The precise construction of the tea caddy is made possible by a technique unique to kabazaiku known as "katamono" (mold-formed work). A thin layer of cherry bark and kyogi (thin wood sheet) is coated with nikawa (animal glue) as an adhesive, wrapped around a wooden mold, and pressed together with a metal iron heated to a high temperature.

The tea caddy has a double structure of an outer core and an inner core, each covered in cherry bark on the outside and inside respectively. The wooden mold used for shaping has a notch: a tube made with a larger diameter, using this notch, becomes the outer core, while a core made by fitting the notch exactly becomes the inner core. Combining these two cores of different diameters to form the body of the tea caddy also requires the skill to create a perfectly round shape without any gaps, and to fit the pieces together precisely.

These two tubes are then sliced crosswise to produce the inner core, outer core, inner lid, and outer lid of the tea caddy's body. It's because of this method of manufacture that every part fits together so precisely within a single tea caddy. The fact that a particular lid is matched to a particular body is also something that comes only from handwork.

How Cherry Bark Ages Over Time

The tea caddy on the right in the photo above is one the maker has used with care for over fifteen years. You can see how it has taken on a deep brown color and gained even more of a sheen. Since a tea caddy is an everyday tool, it changes beautifully through daily handling. Over time, cherry bark shifts from a reddish brown to a deeper brown, developing a beautiful luster. Something understated becomes, over time, even more beautifully understated as it ages. Being able to enjoy that transformation is, I think, a wonderful thing.

Care for Long-Term Use

Even when refilling with new tea leaves, do not wash the tea caddy with water—wipe it instead with a soft, dry cloth, following the direction of the bark's grain. Also, since the maker, Kakunodate Denshiro, has a proper repair system in place, you can keep using it with peace of mind.

For Storing Tea Leaves Even More Deliciously
Beyond simply using a tea caddy, there are other points to keep in mind for storing tea leaves so they taste their best.

■ Don't put it in the refrigerator
Tea leaves easily absorb the odors of other things, so if you put opened tea leaves in the refrigerator, they can pick up the smells of various foods and dishes. Depending on how full the refrigerator is, condensation can also form and cause the leaves to become damp. After placing the leaves in the tea caddy, store it in a cool, dark place, such as a high cupboard.

■ Use it up soon after opening
To enjoy the flavor and aroma at their best, it's best to drink the tea as soon as possible after opening. Depending on the size of your household, it's a good idea to buy a small enough quantity that you can finish it within about a month.

■ If you have a lot of tea leaves, freeze them
If you have a large amount of unopened tea leaves, you can store them as they are in the freezer. This keeps odor transfer and flavor deterioration to a minimum. One important point: always let the leaves return to room temperature before opening the package. (Otherwise, condensation will form and dampen the leaves.)

What if the tea leaves get damp anyway?

You can use TOJIKITONYA's hojiki (tea-roasting pot) to make your own homemade hojicha (roasted green tea). While roasting, it also works to eliminate kitchen odors. The roasted tea leaves are, of course, delicious to drink, and you can also place them in a dish by the entryway or in the shoe cabinet to use as a deodorizer.

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From One Thing, Many New Interests

Starting with a tea canister, you gradually come to love tea more and more. You begin to want to learn more deeply about everything connected to it. That kind of progression is rather wonderful in its own way. It's not a grand thing, but I think a beautiful tool can, before you know it, change how you use and spend your time. That makes me want to put even more care into choosing everyday tools, not just tea canisters. Whether with family, friends, or coworkers, time spent drinking tea with someone is a good thing.

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The "Things That Connect Attachment" Series: A Recap

【Your attachment becomes someone else's attachment】

There's a reason we grow attached to things. Because they're easy to use. Because they feel good. Because they're good for society and the planet. Now, what happens when you add "because I want someone to use it someday"? Someday I want my child to use it. Someday I want to give it to a friend. We take care of things so that, even after they leave our hands, they'll keep being used, unchanged, in someone else's life. Long-life products come with that kind of "joy after nurturing" waiting for you too. Durable materials that let you enjoy the changes of time, products you can keep using through maintenance, makers who accept consultations and repairs—using such products with the feeling of "for someone, someday" brings about a sense of attachment quite different from before, somehow.