This chashaku (tea scoop) is a beautiful piece with many appealing features, including a Juri-style carving, a stain below the node, and a beautifully shaped tip. The inscription on the outer tube reads "Fushiki (with a kao - signature)," and the inside of the lid of the accompanying box reads "Fushiki, Daikyo of Murasakino (with a kao)," and the back of the box bears the seal of "Seichusai." There are no scratches or repairs, and the condition is excellent. The back of the tip is also clean. Comes with a matching box. Length: 18.3 cm "Fushiki" [Reading] Shirazu (I do not know) [Meaning] "Shirazu," meaning "I do not know." This was the response of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, when Emperor Wu of Liang asked him, "Who are you in my presence?" It doesn't mean he truly didn't know, but rather that it cannot be expressed in words. It is an expression that cuts through the foolish discriminatory mind of ordinary people who are always attached to right and wrong, existence and non-existence. <Source> Hekiganroku ▢ Daikyo Tachibana Born in 1899, died in 2005 A Buddhist monk. Supreme Advisor of Daitoku-ji Temple of the Rinzai sect. President of Hanazono University. Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1899, he grew up in the home of the chief parishioner of a Bodhi temple. At the age of 21, he was ordained at Nanshu-ji Temple in Sakai and began his career as a Zen monk. After serving as the chief priest of Tokuzen-ji Temple, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji Temple, he became the General Affairs Director of the Daitoku-ji sect in 1953, and then the acting head of the temple. From 1982, he served as the president of Hanazono University. He was well-versed in the tea ceremony and was also known as a tea master and calligrapher. Through the tea ceremony and his involvement in economic magazines in the 1950s, he interacted widely with many figures from the political and financial worlds, including former Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda, former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, and Konosuke Matsushita. He advised them based on the teachings of Zen and was known as a "guide to the political and financial world." His many books include "Return to Rikyu" and "Dying and Being Born are the Same." Died August 25, 2005, at the age of 105. ▢ Seichu Inao Born in 1947 A sashimono craftsman. Kyo-sashimono (Kyoto joinery). Kyoto. Born into a family that made Kyo-sashimono, he began his work in 1969, based on the techniques inherited from his grandfather. In 1972, he received the name "Seichusai" from Master Ekishu Takeda, the former head of Kennin-ji Temple. Later, on the 30th anniversary of his Kyo-sashimono work, he changed his name to "Seichu." [References] Zen Word Dictionary for Tea Ceremony, Tankosha Directory of Master Craftsmen and Artists of Tea Utensils, Tankosha #Why not have your own tea utensils? #TeaUtensils #TeaCeremony #Chashaku #BoxWriting #Usucha (thin tea) #Koicha (thick tea) #TeaCeremony #RinzaiSchool #HanazonoUniversity #Urasenke #Omotesenke #AntiqueArt #DaikyoTachibana #DaitokuJi #Japanese #AntiqueArt #KonosukeMatsushita #HayatoIkeda #TakeoFukuda #PHP