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 are beautifully and intricately carved. The little dots on the body of the kettles are imitating snowfall. Each dot has to be individually pushed out manually, and there are more than a thousand dots. The skill required to achieve this is very high.
Have a look at the crest in the middle of the kettle. It is a Japanese floral crest of a bellflower. It is the family sigil of a prominent family of the Ota clan (a samurai clan from more than 100 years ago) which marks the significance and value of this kettle.
Moreover, even an decades old iron kettle is hard to find, albeit a 100-year old tetsubin. Old iron kettles are very difficult to upkeep, as rust takes over the metal quite easily.
This kettle was also forged by Nizaemon (小泉仁左衛門) who is one of the most important families in making iron kettles in Japan.
If you are interested in collecting art, but do not want to pay the extravagance of a purple-clay (Yi-sheng) teapot , then consider collecting iron kettles as they are very unique antiques. Each tetsubin has its own personality and historical background, and old Tetsubins are handmade art pieces.
Leave a comment