Tea charcoal is made from the 8-Year-Old "クヌギkunugi (sawtooth oak)" tree. The trees are lumbered and cut into the right length for putting them into the kiln, dried in the kiln for about a week, and fired for about 10 days to two weeks. Then those charcoals are cooled down and processed in the end. Mr. Ono said it is difficult to gain the ideal kunugi tree in Ishikawa prefecture, so he started planting kunugi trees by himself in 2003. This activity has been proceeded associating with the administration or NPO.

In terms of the conservation of "里山satoyama (village-vicinity mountain)", the produce of charcoal has been reviewed little by little.

I can't help but wonder ... if the traditional charcoal making is disappeared??? It would be the end of Japanese traditional tea culture. As the charcoal is consumable thing, if there is zero artisan of charcoal, we can't hand down our beautiful tradition to the next generations. I realize again one tradition has been supported and handed down by so many things and people.

At this point, what I can/need to do is to know and learn these matters, share the stories with people around and use the materials or utensils like charcoal preciously to serve a delicious cup of tea in the peaceful atmosphere for the guest and enjoy sharing the beautiful moment.

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［Location of Ono charcoal factory］石川県珠洲市東山中町ホ部2 (Hobu 2, Higashi yamanaka machi, Suzu city, Ishikawa JAPAN) https://www.facebook.com/notokikusumi/

2016.11

Tea Charcoal (茶炭 chazumi)