Tea Caddy

Chatong, also called dagu or dagi, is a tea can, which is a component of a tea set used to store dried tea leaves. Tea leaves require a sealed container in order not to be mixed with other odors or spoiled by contact with moisture or sunlight. Therefore, ideally, its size would not be excessively large, and it would be tightly secured with a lid to keep air from getting in. Its production materials include silver, tin, wood, bamboo, and porcelain. Bamboo chatong was made with a thick cylindrical hollowed-out bamboo, using the same method as making a writing brush stand or a quiver. The surface was decorated with line-engraved patterns of the Ten Longevity Symbols, flowers and birds, and the Four Gracious Plants. And the remainder of the surface aside from the patterns was scratched out evenly and lacquered to emphasize the patterns.