Skip to main content
Entoten
FacebookInstagramPinterestYouTube

Menu

Skip to content
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Artists
  • Places
  • Press
Sign In Search

Recent Posts

  • Pop Up Craft, Stationery, and Clothing Show at The Den on Laurel Street Apr. 15th & 16th March 15, 2023
  • Gohonte -A Natural Pop of Color: New Ceramics by Inoue Shigeru March 2, 2023
  • POP UP CRAFT SHOW at the Den on Laurel Street Dec. 3rd & 4th November 23, 2022
  • Harmony with Food: Ceramics by Kojima Yosuke in Iga October 18, 2022
  • Revitalizing Taketa with Craftsmanship: Glassblower Naru August 15, 2022
February 2016
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
29  
« Jan   Mar »

Top Posts & Pages

  • The Master in the Redwoods: Pond Farm Pottery and the Legacy of Marguerite Wildenhain
    The Master in the Redwoods: Pond Farm Pottery and the Legacy of Marguerite Wildenhain
  • Guide to Choosing Your Tea Whisk for Matcha
    Guide to Choosing Your Tea Whisk for Matcha
  • Pop Up Craft, Stationery, and Clothing Show at The Den on Laurel Street Apr. 15th & 16th
    Pop Up Craft, Stationery, and Clothing Show at The Den on Laurel Street Apr. 15th & 16th
  • The Flavor of the Earth: The Rustic Ceramics of Shigaraki
    The Flavor of the Earth: The Rustic Ceramics of Shigaraki
  • Hanafuda: Japanese Culture Dealt in a Deck of Cards
    Hanafuda: Japanese Culture Dealt in a Deck of Cards

Categories

  • Events, Workshops and Webinars
  • People
    • Naru (Inoue Naruhito)
    • Kojima Yosuke
    • Ayumi Horie
    • Bill Geisinger
    • Floresta Fabrica
    • Hanako Nakazato
    • Harada Fumiko
    • Hashizume Reiko
    • Hashizume Yasuo
    • Horihata Ran
    • Hoshino Gen
    • Ikushima Harumi
    • Inoue Shigeru
    • Ishida Tami
    • Jarrod Dahl
    • Kazu Oba
    • Kenneth Pincus
    • Kikuchi Yuka
    • Kitamura Tokusai
    • Kobayashi Katsuhisa
    • Kubota Kenji
    • Kuriya Masakatsu
    • Maeda Mitsuru
    • Marshall Scheetz
    • Mike Martino
    • Mitch Iburg
    • Muranaka Yasuhiko
    • Nakaya Yoshitaka
    • Nitta Yoshiko
    • Ontayaki
    • Sakai Mika
    • Samuel Johnson
    • Sarah Nishiura
    • Saratetsu
    • Sasaki Shoko
    • Shumpei Yamaki
    • Style Of Japan
    • Takahashi Nami
    • Takami Yasuhiro
    • Tanimura Tango
    • Watanabe Ai
    • Yamada Yutaro
    • Yamauchi Takeshi
    • Yokotsuka Yutaka
  • Baskets
  • Ceramics
  • Design
  • Glass
  • Kintsugi
  • Metal
  • Textiles
  • Urushi
  • Wood
  • Mingei
  • Research
  • Food and Craft
  • Topics
  • Tea (Chado)
  • Travels
    • Arita
    • Bizen
    • Hagi
    • Karatsu
    • Kuroe
    • Kyoto
    • Matsumoto
    • Mino / Tajimi
    • Onta
    • Shigaraki
    • Shizuoka
    • Sonoma County
    • Tokoname
    • Vietnam

The Finest Water Kettles for the People: Tetsubin by Yokotsuka Yutaka

By:
Ai Kanazawa
February 26, 2016Metal Yokotsuka Yutaka

Tokyo tetsubin by Yokotsuka Yutaka in our shop ->

Yokotsuka Yutaka grew up hearing the sound of furnaces and mingling with the foundrymen working at his grandfather’s factory in Komatsugawa on the eastern edges of Tokyo. “I naturally thought that I’d grow up, graduate from school, and succeed my family business. I had no doubts,” he says in looking back at his life.

After over 40 years spent at the foundry, this quiet and unpresuming maker now dedicates his time to the making of Japanese water kettles or tetsubin using age-old traditional methods.

Hiragata-Arare
Tokyo Tetsubin by Yokotsuka Yutaka. This pattern on the kettle is called arare, which means hailstone, and originates from the motif on cast iron pots traditionally used in tea ceremony.

Tetsubin is a Japanese cast iron kettle used for boiling water. It became a popular household utensil during the late Edo period in the 18th century when leaf tea or sencha became available for mass consumption.

Although many similar utensils for boiling water with spouts and handles are found around the world, surprisingly water kettles made of cast iron were historically only made in Japan. The California Academy of Sciences has studied the tetsubin and although it says that the exact origins of the tetsubin are unclear, its genesis may stem from the widely held belief among tea enthusiasts that water boiled in an iron kettle tastes better than water boiled in any other material.

A typical cast iron pot used in tea ceremony.
A typical cast iron pot used in tea ceremonies. Hot water is scooped out with a bamboo ladle.

In formal tea ceremonies, the water is boiled in a cast iron pot without the spout and is scooped out with a bamboo ladle. Many practitioners of formal tea agree that the water boiled in cast iron makes the best tasting tea.

While I will leave it to the scientists to provide the scientific rationale as to why this may be the case, the tetsubin, the smaller, portable and more convenient utensil for boiling water for tea, quickly became the affordable luxury for people in the late Edo period. Tetsubin on top of burning charcoal heaters or hibachi became very fashionable to share tea and keep warm with family and friends, even if it was for the purpose of making cheaper and more common leaf tea.

Tokyo Tetsubin by Yokotsuka Yutaka with morning glory motif
Tokyo Tetsubin by Yokotsuka Yutaka with morning glory motif. Morning glory (or asagao) became adored by the common people of Edo and is regarded as a symbol of old Tokyo culture.

The production of tetsubin peaked in the early 20th century when they were made in foundries all over Japan. But as national development turned towards militarization in the 1930s, the supply of iron for non-military needs became tight. Concurrently, as charcoal heating of the homes was replaced by kerosene, gas and electricity, the demand for tetsubin steadily dropped. Nowadays tetsubin making is mostly carried out in Iwate, which is where most ironware is produced in Japan.

A good quality tetsubin is light-weight with crisp motifs and unobtrusive exterior. They also have well-balanced spouts that pour water without dribbling. Its handle is hollow and forged from a sheet of iron which stays cool even when the kettle is heated. Apart from the handle forged by a fellow metal smith, Yokotsuka-san makes the rest of the kettle himself.

Yokotsuka Yutaka demonstrates how the inside of the exterior mold is prepared. Each nub of the hailstone kettle is created by hand.
Yokotsuka Yutaka demonstrates how the inside of the exterior mold is prepared. Each nub of the hailstone kettle is created with a tool by hand.
molds
Molds for the exterior of tetsubin and spout. Each exterior mold is only used once to create crisp patterns.

Traditional tetsubin-making involves four separate molds. There are two molds for the exterior and interior of the body, a mold for the spout, and a mold for the lid and its knob. Yokotsuka-san only uses the external mold once because re-using the mold, which is made from sand, makes the design of the kettle less crisp.

The pouring of molten iron is the most difficult part of the tetsubin-making process. The temperature of the iron and the speed of pouring all affect the end result. Yokotsuka-san admits that because the wall of the tetsubin is so thin, mistakes are not rare.

Pouring
Yokotsuka Yutaka pouring iron into the mold. Photo courtesy of Yokotsuka Yutaka

After they are cast, each tetsubin is baked in charcoal. This is a traditional method to reduce the initial rusting of the interior until a mineral layer is formed through repeated use. The exterior is coated with an iron mordant base and urushi lacquer.

Yokotuska-san is as firm and iron-willed as his creations in maintaining the legacy of tetsubin-making in Tokyo. “The foundries closed in Tokyo, and casting work of crafts became moribund in Japan. So I feel a great purpose in making tetsubin using the traditional techniques here in Tokyo”, Yokotsuka-san explains. He hopes to keep the fires of Tokyo’s forgotten foundry history burning, and dreams that one day he will be able to pass the knowledge on to the next generation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
鉄瓶 edotetsubin tetsubin tokyotetsubin yokotsukayutaka 小松川鋳造所 横塚裕多加 江戸鉄瓶

6 responses on “The Finest Water Kettles for the People: Tetsubin by Yokotsuka Yutaka”

  1. Judy Summerville November 30, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    How can I obtain one of these beautiful kettles I live in USA.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorNovember 30, 2016 at 1:50 pm

      Hello Judy,
      I just sent you an e-mail! Thank you for visiting our blog.

      Reply ↓
      1. Igor April 14, 2017 at 8:26 am

        Please let me know how I can order kettle and deliver to US.
        Thank you

        Reply ↓
        1. Kathryn Pombriant Manzella May 5, 2017 at 4:14 pm

          Hi,

          Please visit our website at studiokotokoto.com to see the kettles that we have in stock. We are in the US (although we’re away on a quick break but we will ship again starting on May 9th). Thank you!

          Reply ↓
  2. Eden May 5, 2017 at 9:18 am

    Hi,

    How can I buy the kettle by studiokotokoto?

    Reply ↓
    1. Kathryn Pombriant Manzella May 5, 2017 at 4:13 pm

      Hi,

      Please visit our website at studiokotokoto.com to see the kettles that we have in stock. We can make arrangements to ship out of the country if necessary, but please send us email through our site. Thank you!

      Reply ↓

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy & Security
  • Contact Us
  • ✉️ Newsletter Archive
  • About
  • えんとてんJapan

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Our Mailing Address is

Entoten LLC
c/o The Den on Laurel St.
205 Laurel St. Suite 104
San Diego CA 92101

E-mail: hello@entoten.com

Copyright © 2022 ENTOTEN LLC

Studio Kotokoto is now closed. Thank you for your support over the years!
You have been redirected to Entoten, an online blog and shop that was created by one of Studio Kotokoto’s founders.