This is a tea scoop (chashaku) made using valuable smoked bamboo, with a straight groove (hi) carved in the Rikyū style. The groove at the tip of the scoop creates a beautiful visual effect. The accompanying tube (tsutsu) also uses smoked bamboo and is signed "Miyama-ji (with kao - a written flourish)." The lid of the accompanying box is signed "Miyama-ji, Daikyo Tachibana of Murasakino (with kao)." The under-carving was done by "Sogen," and a mark is stamped on the back of the box. Overall, the condition is good, but there are some stains on the box (front, back, and lid). This is a phenomenon seen in high-quality paulownia wood and is not dirt, so please rest assured. *See photo 13.* There are no scratches or cracks. "Miyama-ji" [Reading] Miyama-ji [Meaning] A road deep in the mountains. A path in the depths of the mountains. Length: 18.4 cm ▢ Daikyo Tachibana (1899-2005) A Buddhist monk. The highest 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 head of the parishioners of his family temple. At the age of 21, he was ordained at Nanshu-ji Temple in Sakai and began his path as a Zen monk. After serving as the chief priest of Tokuzen-ji Temple, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji Temple, he became the head of the Daitoku-ji sect in 1953, and then the acting head. 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 the planning of an economic magazine in the 1950s, he had a wide range of interactions with many figures in 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. [References] Dictionary of Zen Words for Tea Ceremony, Tankosha Enjoying Tea Ceremony Names with the 24 Solar Terms, Tankosha Tea Ceremony Names: Words of Waka, Tankosha #Why not have your own tea utensils? #TeaUtensils #TeaCeremony #TeaScoop #BoxInscription #ThinTea #ThickTea #TeaCeremony #RinzaiSchool #HanazonoUniversity #Urasenke #Omotesenke #AntiqueArt #DaikyoTachibana #DaitokuJi #Japanese #AntiqueArt #KonosukeMatsushita #HayatoIkeda #TakeoFukuda #PHP