Vintage Japanese Ainu Bear Kuma w/ Salmon Sugi Wood ~10" Chawan The Chashaku is the simple

The Chashaku is the simple bamboo tea scoop used to transfer powdered green tea from the caddy to the tea bowl during tea ceremony

Symbolism: Bamboo (take) is one of the auspicious Shōchikubai (pine–bamboo–plum)

Footmark: Artist’s impressed lotus flower seal with stylized characters

it still remains in otherwise good condition

Vintage Japanese Ainu Bear Kuma w/ Salmon Sugi Wood ~10" Chawan The Chashaku is the simpleA finely hand carved wooden bear clutching a salmon in its jaws, a classic motif rooted in the traditions of the Ainu people of northern Japan. These sculpted bearsknown collectively as Kiboriguma ()represent one of the most recognizable and beloved forms of Hokkaid folk art, merging spiritual reverence with regional craftsmanship. In Ainu cosmology, the bear (kimun kamuy, mountain god) was regarded as one of the most powerful deities, descending from