Tachibana Daikame Chashaku Pair Tsurukame Mei Three-Node Bamboo Tea Scoop Daitokuji

Tachibana Daikame Chashaku Pair — Tsurukame Mei, Three-Node Bamboo Tea Scoop from Daitokuji. A paired set of tea scoops (issō) bearing the mei "Tsurukame" (Crane and Turtle), inscribed by the legendary Zen abbot of Daitokuji. This Japanese tea ceremony utensil features a sansetsu chashaku with three nodes — an extraordinary configuration. Crafted by Inao Seichūsai, this bamboo tea scoop set embodies auspicious Zen calligraphy and masterful bamboo craftsmanship.

🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]
• Mei (銘): Tsurukame (鶴亀) — Crane and Turtle, symbols of longevity and blessing
• Calligrapher: Tachibana Daikame (立花大亀, 1899–2005), Daitokuji 511th Abbot
• Maker (Shitagiri): Inao Seichūsai (稲尾誠中斎)
• Format: Issō (一双) — matched pair
• Materials: One natural bamboo scoop with three nodes; one dark wood scoop with visible grain
• Accompaniments: Tomobako (signed box), tomozutsu (signed bamboo tube case), paper box
• Condition: Consistent with age; stored with care

🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]
Tachibana Daikame served Daitokuji for over seven decades. He lived to the age of 107 — his calligraphy carries the accumulated stillness of a century of Zen practice. The mei "Tsurukame" speaks directly to this: crane and turtle, the twin emblems of enduring life in East Asian cosmology. That he chose this inscription for a paired set deepens the intention — two forms, one blessing.

🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]
In chanoyu, a standard tea scoop has a single node. Two nodes appear occasionally. Three nodes (sansetsu) challenge both the bamboo and the maker's hand — the material must be selected with extraordinary precision, the carving executed with restraint that honors the natural architecture of the stalk. Inao Seichūsai's achievement here is quiet but absolute: the scoop exists as though it always intended to carry three nodes. The dark companion scoop completes the pair with density and warmth, offering the host a choice of voice for each gathering.

[ JAPANESE DESCRIPTION / 日本語解説 ]

🔸 [ 基本情報 ]
• 銘：鶴亀（つるかめ）
• 書付：立花大亀老師（大徳寺第511世住持、1899–2005）
• 下作：稲尾誠中斎
• 形式：茶杓一双
• 素材：竹（三節茶杓）および木製茶杓
• 付属品：共箱、共筒、紙箱

🔸 [ 文化的背景 ]
立花大亀老師は大徳寺にて七十余年にわたり禅の道を歩まれた方です。107歳という長寿を全うされたその筆跡には、一世紀の坐禅が凝縮された静けさが宿ります。「鶴亀」の銘は、まさにその生涯を映すかのような祝意に満ちた言葉。一双という形式がこの祝福をさらに深めています。

🔸 [ 解説 ]
茶の湯において、茶杓の節は通常一つ。二節でさえ稀な中、三節の茶杓は竹の選定から削りまで、素材の声に耳を澄ませる極めて高い技量を要します。誠中斎の手になるこの一竿は、まるで最初から三節であることを望んでいたかのような自然さを湛えています。

🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials