A Chashaku is a spoon-like utensil used to scoop maccha tea powder into a tea bowl.
The chashaku originally came from a metal medicine spoon used in China, which had a potato leaf shaped scoop. The other end of the stem was rounded in order to crush medicine easily.
     In the Muromachi period, when the tea ceremony was established, people began to think that metal teaspoons might damage the tea set.  They then started to make Chasaku from bamboo.
     Upon the ascendance of Sen no Rikyu as the most influential tea master in the Sengoku period, Keishuso first designed a chashaku with a joint for Rikyu.  Hochiku, who studied under Keishuso and who became a chashaku artisan for Rikyu, completed the establishment of chakasu design as an art form.  
     The bamboo most commonly used for chashaku is from the Nigatake bamboo family, especially Sarashitake bamboo.
     Chashaku is 17~21cm in length. The end used to scoop tea powder is oval-shaped, 1cm width and 2cm length, and it is bent to make the scoop.    
     Chashaku is considered to be essential to the traditional tea ceremony and it is as beautiful as it is functional.