The kashikiri is a short pick, usually of metal, wood, or bamboo, used to cut a moist sweet (omogashi) into pieces and lift them. It is carried by the guest rather than provided by the host, and is wiped on the kaishi paper after use.
In practice
Moist sweets are served before thick tea and are too soft to be handled directly. The guest takes the sweet onto the kaishi with the serving chopsticks, then cuts and eats with the pick. Dry sweets (higashi) served with thin tea need no pick and are taken by hand. Metal picks come with a small sheath; wooden and bamboo ones are treated as consumables.
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
Term info
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Related terms
- Kaishi (paper for sweets)kaishi
Folded paper carried by guests to receive sweets, also used to wipe the sweet pick and to take leftovers away.
- Omogashi (moist sweets)omogashi
Fresh, moist sweets served before thick tea; the element that speaks most directly of the season.
- Kashibachi (sweet bowl)kashibachi
A shared bowl or dish in which moist sweets are brought to the guests.
- Meimeizara (individual plate)meimeizara
Small individual plates used to serve sweets one guest at a time.