How expensive is a Japanese iron kettle? Please look at the first image - this photo is taken in a department store in Hong Kong. No, you are not mistaken, it is indeed more than $128,000 Hong Kong dollars, which means it’s around £13,000 British pounds! This price is a bit too much, and frustratingly so when the salesperson is unable to justify why it is so! So why is it so expensive? Let us see what kind of iron kettle it is, and try to find out why it is so expensive! First of all, let’s look at the maker. The autography Hide Sen (秀仙) on the kettle, is Isago zawa Saburō (砂子澤三郎), the son of Hidehito (秀仁)...
Tetsubins are valuable and precious to whoever buys it, but how do you know what is an authentic tetsubin compared to the factory-made iron kettles you see in department stores? Well I have 3 tips for you, and as long as you follow these 3 tips, you should be taking an authentic tetsubin home. 1. The tetsubin comes from Japan. It goes without saying that products are made best from its country of origin. The techniques and materials used in Japan cannot be replicated or replaced in another country. For example, the materials and creation process of a Tetsubin (more details in previous post) in other countries cannot really be compared with the techniques of the Japanese. Look at the...
Look at this beautiful iron kettle. This tetsubin is more than 100 years old. It was made in Iwateken (岩手県), a barren place except for water and iron ore. People there are blessed with the skills to make iron kettles. Iron kettles are used to boil water. Japanese enjoy drinking teas, and they give great importance to the type of wares used in drinking tea. When water is boiled using an an iron kettle, the water’s flavour becomes sweeter and more pronounced. This effect cannot be replicated or produced by other means. A tetsubin is not the same as any other water boiling wares. Firstly, these Japanese iron kettles are pieces of art. The patterns and shapes of the kettles...
