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NO.1
Here, I will explain about the tea stone mill.

The origin of millstones is said to be the use of a tool called saddle khan in the ancient Egyptian era. After that, it spread from Western Europe to the east, and it seems that it was around 800 B.C. that rotary mortars appeared. Since the Stone Age, people have had a long relationship with stones as tools. In this section, we will provide detailed information about matcha mills made from such stones.

Outline of tea stone mill

The tea stone mill made in China around 800 AD was later brought to Japan and improved to become the tea mortar of today. However, these days, I don't see tea mills anymore. In the old days, to buy matcha, you first had to buy "tencha", the raw material of matcha, and then pay a separate fee to have the tencha ground and turned into matcha. Because tea mortars are so expensive, he was not even in the tea shops, let alone in every household. Therefore, at that time, there was a place like a "grinding shop", and I brought tencha there and had it ground.

Needless to say, the tea grinder is manual until the power comes on. And it was mostly women's work.

On this page, I would like to talk in detail about the tea mill. Please take a look (^^)/


Structure of the tea stone mill

Internal image
of the tea stone mill
If you disassemble the tea mill, you will find the upper part (upper mill),
It is divided into the lower part (lower mill).

The stones used for tea mills are mainly granite, diabase, and cow rock. Wood sawdust is often made from oak wood. Machines are used to hollow out large blocks of stone, but most of the other processing is done by hand by technicians.

The technology of processing food by rubbing stones together is a method that humankind has been working on since ancient times.

When I grind the tea mill, I am asked
"Which direction do you want to rotate?"
is.

The answer is to turn it counterclockwise.



Partial image
of the lower side
This is a picture of the mandible. Can you see that the groove is cut and divided into 8 frames? This framework varies by region. As for the work process, tencha poured from above falls down along the core wood as the upper mill rotates. As the tencha falls, it passes through the gap between the hole in the upper mortar and the core wood, and becomes finer as if peeling off the tencha.
The delicate technique to secure the gap between the core wood and the upper mill greatly affects the quality of the finished matcha. It is a showcase of the skill of the creator. The core wood will wear out due to friction, so it will need to be replaced as it ages.
The size of the lower mortar of this tea mortar is 38 cm in diameter and weighs about 15 kg.

The size of the mortar is roughly fixed.
Most of the electric tea mortars currently used in many tea factories are 33 centimeters in diameter and weigh about 25 kilograms. There is also an occasional 45 cm tea mill.
If the tea mill is too small and light, the particles of the finished matcha will be coarse, making it difficult to beat and the matcha will not go down smoothly. 
Lower groove and circumference

There are 13 to 14 grooves per square. This groove
1, The role of sending the falling tencha to the outside of the mortar
2, Ventilation-like role to release the heat that builds up
3. It plays the role of finely peeling the tencha.

If you look at the edge of the edge, do you notice that the groove does not extend to the edge of the edge? The reason for this is to make the tencha even finer at the end by eliminating the groove. Matcha with moderately fine particles is easy to make and goes down smoothly when you drink it.

During the Heian and Kamakura periods, when tea mortars were introduced from China, the grooves were cut all the way to the ends of the tea mortars, but with the development of the tea ceremony in the 1400s, the grooves were no longer cut to the ends.

For reference, mortars other than the matcha mortar (for buckwheat, barley, etc.) have grooves cut all the way to the end.

The craftsmanship of the maker also shines in the processing technology of this part.


小見出し
ここをクリックして表示したいテキストを入力してください。テキストは「右寄せ」「中央寄せ」「左寄せ」といった整列方向、「太字」「斜体」「下線」「取り消し線」、「文字サイズ」「文字色」「文字の背景色」など細かく編集することができます。
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upper stone mill
It's the upper mortar. It has 8 squares like the lower mill. The core of the lower mortar fits into the hole in the center, and the tencha is ground while rotating the mortar stably.

A major feature of the upper mortar is that it is recessed a few centimeters outward from the hole in the center. Tencha, which has been ground while falling from above, first collects in this hollow called “Fukumi”.

In addition, the stone of the tea mill is worn out as it ages. The adjustment of the stone is mainly done by the technicians on this upper mill.
How matcha is ground

As we have seen so far, tencha brewed from the top of the tea mill is eventually ground from the gap between the upper and lower mills.

The grinding speed varies even with the same mortar depending on factors such as the mortar, outside temperature, and humidity.

With my hand mill, it produces about 2g after 10 minutes.
Even a 33 cm diameter tea mortar that is electrically operated in a typical tea factory
About 40g per hour.

This is one of the reasons why matcha is precious and expensive.
wood for sawing
It is a "turning tree" that you hold in your hand when turning the tea mill.
The outside is covered with other bamboo tubes, and the wood inside is mainly oak.

Since it is used by inserting it into the tea mortar, it is necessary to match the size of the hole where the milling mortar is cut with the size of the insert part of the sawdust.
This part of the policy is also produced by engineers when making tea mortars.

The outer bamboo part can be replaced today by purchasing thin bamboo at a hardware store.
小見出し
ここをクリックして表示したいテキストを入力してください。テキストは「右寄せ」「中央寄せ」「左寄せ」といった整列方向、「太字」「斜体」「下線」「取り消し線」、「文字サイズ」「文字色」「文字の背景色」など細かく編集することができます。
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Inside the tea mill after grinding
At the beginning of grinding, tencha is ground and upper and lower mortars are stacked
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小見出し

ここをクリックして表示したいテキストを入力してください。テキストは「右寄せ」「中央寄せ」「左寄せ」といった整列方向、「太字」「斜体」「下線」「取り消し線」、「文字サイズ」「文字色」「文字の背景色」など細かく編集することができます。
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I had you make my tea stone  mill
We would like to introduce Mr. Oshima, a traditional craftsman.


Currently, there are very few areas where tea stone mill  are produced.

The tea stone mill that I use was made by Mr. Masahiko Oshima of "Oshima Stone Shop", who runs a stone shop in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture and is certified as a "traditional craftsman".

In Okazaki City, a stone called 'Ushiiwaseki', which is suitable for tea mills, is mined. The stone is neither too hard nor too soft.
The work of constantly rotating and rubbing the upper and lower stones continues. Stones that are too hard for the mortar will wear out and require frequent sharpening.
Conversely, if the stone is too soft, it will be difficult to grind it into fine particles as desired. There are limited places where stones with moderate hardness can be mined.

Mr. Oshima used to make stone monuments and lanterns for gardens, and stone monuments for graves. I heard that it was the beginning of tea mill making.
address
〒630-8131
SHA MAISON AVANCE 102.
64-1 omorimachi, Nara City, Nara Prefecture
access　🚋 11 minute walk from Nara Station on the JR Yamatoji Line
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