A long-rectangle tea coaster cut from yamazakura — Japanese mountain cherry — at Arai Sawmill in Tsukechi, Nakatsugawa City, a Gifu mountain town known as the source of the sacred timber used in the Ise Grand Shrine's rebuilding.
The sawmill buys logs grown locally and takes them through every stage in-house, planning from the milling floor so a tree is used without waste. Mountain cherry is a hardwood that gives off no resin and resists scratching. Left to age, it deepens toward amber.
The long format is meant to hold a cup and a sweet together, or a cup and a chashaku. At 18cm (7 inches) it reads as a small tray more than a coaster.
SALIU's mark is branded into the underside.
** This listing is for the long coaster only, other tea tools shown in the pictures are for demonstration purpose, not included in this order.
Details
180 mm x 92 mm x 10 mm
Natural mountain cherry wood, urethane finish
Made at Arai Sawmill, Tsukechi, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture
Grain and color vary piece to piece; knots and small marks are part of the wood, not defects
Made in Japan
Care
Wipe with a dry or barely damp cloth
Do not soak, run under water, or put in the dishwasher - wood splits as it swells and dries
Dry any standing condensation from the surface rather than letting it sit
Store flat and out of direct sun
The urethane finish protects the surface but is not heatproof; keep boiling-hot cast iron off it
