Takayama Tea Whisks Bamboo Nara Prefecture Cooperative Union Takayama Tea Whisk Association 6439-3 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara Prefecture tel 07437-8-0034 Background The making of tea whisks began in the middle of the Muromachi period (1333-1568), when the younger son of the lord of Takayama was asked to make a whisk by Murata Juko, who had been instrumental in perfecting the tea ceremony. Thereafter, the production method was kept a guarded secret by the lord of the castle and his family and was carefully handed down from generation to generation. However, sometime later the secret was revealed to sixteen of the family's chief retainers and the techniques were passed on without interruption. Takayama is now the only place in the country where tea whisks are being made. There are about 120 different kinds of Takayama tea whisk, the type of material, shape and number of splines varying according to the school of tea, and also on the kind of tea, whether it is weak or strong, to be served in very formal surroundings or at an open air tea ceremony, or if the whisk is for a travelling set. The taste of the tea is also said to differ slightly according to the workmanship during the whittling process. A part from the traditional whisks, some are now made for decorative purposes, while others are made to produce a good head of froth on milky coffee. The craft is now sustained by 19 government recognized Master Craftsmen among the 300 people employed by the 27 firms in this rural area of Nara prefecture.