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Tetsubin (Iron Kettle) -Arare / volume 1L / base diameter: 9.5cm

Craftsman Daieki Takahashi produces beautifully crafted, lightweight Tetsubin at his workshop in Iwate Prefecture. Takahashi's Tetsubin are a mix of uniquely contemporary original designs along with more traditional styles. Producing the handmade tetsubin is an arduous process that require several dozen individual steps from start to completion.

Arare is one of the most traditional and well known patterns used for Japanese cast iron kettles. The sharpness and detail of the Arare pattern depends largely on the workmanship and skill of the craftsman and the quality of the mould used in production. A great deal of concentration and patience is required from Takahashi who uses tools to manually stamp more than 2000 times while creating the detailed mould used to produce this kettle.

Iron kettles have many benefits including helping to provide supplemental iron, removing the smell of chlorine from tap water for a better tasting cup of tea, and retaining heat for long periods. With proper care, tetsubin can be used and passed on for generations.

*Tetsubin are fully iron kettles (they do not have an enamel interior) and are only designed for boiling water. They should not be used for brewing tea.

Profile
Daieki Takahashi was born in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. At 19, he entered a Nanbu Tekki workshop to learn the craft. He left after only two years to pursue a different path but returned to making iron kettles after 5 years in an unrelated field. He continued to work and further train in the craft at a studio in Morioka for 14 years before leaving to establish an independent workshop in 2010. He has since been producing iron kettles in a variety of original designs.