Jun Narimatsu
本記事は銀緑茶具を始める前の話の２話目です。個人の話が中心となりますがご容赦ください。
Prologue: The Encounter at Danaroma
In my twenties, a cafe called "Danaroma" opened along my commute home from the nearest station. That place, filled with the aesthetics and passion of its first owner, Mr. Hisamitsu, attracted a rather unusual crowd.
Having just started my job, I loved both tea and coffee, partly due to my parents' influence. One day, a sudden remark from an older regular customer drastically changed my life.
"You said you like tea, but have you ever brewed it in silver teaware?"
That question marked the beginning of my long relationship with silverware. Through Mr. Hisamitsu's introduction, I spoke with an antique dealer who was also a customer and visited a sales event held at a department store. There, I encountered a tea set that felt like destiny.
Ⅰ Encountering Silverware in 1910
British antique tea sets are usually ornate and showy. But the one that caught my eye was a surprisingly small and understated piece.
A sterling silver tea set made around 1910. The three-piece set included a teapot, milk jug, and sugar bowl, with all hallmarks intact and its provenance clearly documented.
The teapot holds about 300cc. It's just the right size for brewing two cups of tea. The polished silver's gleam and the warmth of the wood in the handle and lid created a quiet harmony. Its simple, honest form captured my heart at first sight.
The price was comparable to a simple Rolex from that era. For me in my twenties, it was a purchase that took courage, but I had no hesitation. Only the intuition that "I must not let this encounter slip away" pushed me forward.
II. What Aladdin's Lamp Whispers
Is tea brewed in silverware truly delicious? That's what they say, but the reality is slightly different. Silver conducts heat well and excels at retaining warmth, making it easier for tea leaves to circulate. On the other hand, minerals can leach out, sometimes subtly altering the flavor.
In my experience, astringent teas like Darjeeling become surprisingly mellow when brewed in silverware. But what mattered even more was that the very meaning of tea time itself changed.
The moment you face silverware radiating light before your eyes, it holds a special quality unmatched by any other tea utensil. For me, it was like Aladdin's lamp—a presence that conjured the small magic hidden within everyday life.
III. Value That Continues to Shine for Over 100 Years
Silverware quickly tarnishes if neglected. It requires regular polishing and careful handling. This very effort feels like a ritual of engaging with time.
This tea set is over a hundred years old. For the thirty years since I first encountered it, its form and luster have scarcely changed. Every part except the wood has taught me the beauty of staying unchanged.
Even if I could go back in time, I'd still buy it. The reason is simple: even after 30 years, it still creates special moments for me.
IV. A Life of Keeping Doors Open
This encounter with silverware was one of the important "doors" for me. Until then, my interest had centered on new tea leaves and flavors, but through silverware, my focus shifted to the "story of the tools themselves."
Native American jewelry, antique cutlery, and tools bearing the marks of handcraft. Before I knew it, my life had become a journey of constantly opening doors.
This word "door" is borrowed from a passage in the manga Space Brothers. "Life has many doors. Life is built by continuing to open doors." I think that's exactly right. One tea set opened a new door in my life.
V. The Potential of Craft
Using things carefully together, repairing them when necessary, and keeping them alive for a long time. I believe true sustainability lies within that very sense.
Silverware, wood, lacquer—these materials naturally embody their philosophy. I want the things that support special moments to be my "partners." And I want to create a society where the artisans who carry on these materials and techniques can continue their work in good health.
No matter how good something is, it won't endure without encounter. That's precisely why I believe providing "places for experience" is a small way to pass culture on to the next generation.
Ⅵ 銀緑茶具というドア
銀緑茶具のコンセプトは、「すべてのお茶の体験を、特別なものに変えられるか」という問いにある。
Materials, techniques, and time. Each is a door to a new world, and simultaneously a door to a special time.
かつての名前候補は「石木茶具」だった。鉱物と植物、硬さと柔らかさ。この対比をもっと開かれた言葉にしたくて、銀と緑を合わせ「銀緑茶具」と名づけた。
What I want to create is not just a tool. It is the very essence of "time" itself—a time when, amidst our busy modern lives, the mind finds stillness and the senses relax.
Epilogue: Life's Partner
Each time I pick up this tea set, a quiet happiness descends. Light reflects off the polished silver surface, and beyond the steam, past and present overlap.
Silverware that continues to shine for over a century teaches us that "what is truly valuable endures the test of time."
My goal is to create such tools together with contemporary artisans. The door opened by my encounter with a single tea set continues to enrich my life to this day.
そして、その向こうに見える新しい庭を、銀緑茶具という名の下で静かに耕していきたい。
Notes
*1 Danaroma: A coffee shop established near Toritsu-Daigaku Station in the 1990s. Known for owner Hisamitsu's unique aesthetic and spatial design. The shop continues today, carefully preserved and carried on.
*2 Silver 925: Sterling silver containing 92.5% silver. In the UK, its authenticity is regulated by the hallmarking system.
*3 First Flush: A black tea term referring to spring-picked new tea, such as Darjeeling. Delicate and highly aromatic.
*4 Space Brothers: A manga series by Koyama Kōya. The line "Life has many doors" is a famous quote from one of the characters.
Summary
20代での偶然の問いかけから始まった銀器との出会いが、30年を経て著者の人生観と事業構想に深く影響を与えた記録。1910年製の英国アンティーク銀器ティーセットとの遭遇は、単なる道具の購入を超え、「道具の物語」への関心、持続可能性への独自の視座、そして銀緑茶具という新たな工芸ブランドの誕生へとつながった。100年を超えて輝き続ける銀器から学んだ「真の価値」と「時間との向き合い方」が、現代の工芸家支援と文化継承という未来志向の活動へと結実している。一つの出会いが開いた扉が、人生を豊かにし続ける実例として描かれる。