Japanese Wild Cherry Bark Tea Canister, 2 Sizes
Meet our Japanese Wild Cherry Bark Tea Canisters that come in 2 sizes. Made by Yatsu Yanagi, they are the ultimate tea canisters you would want to collect and cherish. The longer you use, more lustrous it becomes, brining out the uniquely beautiful gleam of wild cherry tree wood.
Handcrafted from the bark of wild cherry trees, this tea canister by Yatsu Yanagi celebrates the quiet beauty of natural materials and traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
Wild cherry bark craft, known as kabazaiku (樺細工), has been practiced in Japan for centuries. The bark is carefully prepared, polished, and applied by hand, revealing a rich surface with subtle variations in tone, grain, and texture. Rather than disguising the material, the restrained form of the canister allows the distinctive character of the cherry bark to take center stage.
The fitted inner and outer lids help protect tea leaves from air and humidity, while the smooth, gently polished surface develops greater depth and character with continued handling and use.
Each canister is individually made, and natural variations in the cherry bark make every piece unique—a beautiful and functional object designed to become richer with time.
About Yatsu Yanagi:
Founded in 1897 in Kakunodate, Akita Prefecture, Yatsu Yanagi has been producing kabazaiku—the traditional Japanese craft of working with wild cherry bark—for generations.
Kakunodate has long been at the heart of Japan’s cherry bark craft tradition, where the techniques of kabazaiku developed into an important local industry. Yatsu Yanagi continues this heritage today, preserving traditional methods while creating objects intended for contemporary daily life.
The studio works with the bark of wild cherry trees, carefully revealing and polishing its naturally varied grain and deep, lustrous surface. The material is particularly well suited to tea canisters for its natural ability to regulate humidity, helping maintain a stable environment for storing tea leaves.
Yatsu Yanagi approaches the material with particular respect for its natural origins. Wild cherry bark can be carefully harvested without killing the tree and regenerates over time, while smaller remnants from the making process are used for smaller objects rather than discarded. The studio also actively plants wild cherry trees as part of its commitment to sustaining the material and craft for future generations.
Made to be lived with, Yatsu Yanagi's pieces continue to evolve through use. The cherry bark gradually deepens in color and develops a richer luster through handling, while well-loved pieces can be re-polished, re-pasted, and repaired—allowing them to remain part of everyday life for generations.
Dimensions:
S: ⌀ 3.3" (8.3 cm) x H 3.6" (9 cm); weighs 100g
L: ⌀ 3.3" (8.3 cm) x H 4.7" (12cm); weighs 150g
Please use a dry soft cloth to wipe in the direction of the grain.
Not microwave nor dishwasher safe
Made in Akita, Japan.
