"Iron is the state," preached Bismarck of 19th century Germany.
That's right. Steel is a strong and beautiful material that is used to build cities, railways, machines, and even Tokyo Tower.
The iron tea kettle is at the heart of the tea ceremony, which is the origin of Japanese beauty.
Tea kettles were something that warlords of the Sengoku period sought out as a sign of their prestige.
In last year's NHK Taiga drama, the tea kettle "Heigumo" that Oda Nobunaga coveted was featured. Its official name was "Kotenmei Heigumo". It was owned by Matsunaga Hisahide, and is the most famous tea kettle in history. Nobunaga requested it many times, but Hisahide refused.
When holding a tea ceremony, it is said to "hang the kettle," and it is an important tea utensil along with the hanging scroll in the tokonoma alcove. The sound of the tea boiling is likened to the pine tree, and the words "pine wind, pine sound, pine voice" convey the Japanese sensibility and culture of beauty.
The world of tea ceremony has been protecting Japanese culture since the Muromachi and Momoyama periods, and three places are famous for their kettles: Tenmei kama, Ashiya kama, and Kyo kama. The five people in this group made kettles for future generations in their respective places: Kanazawa, Morioka, Takaoka, and Nasu. They are all cast iron kettle makers who continue to make kettles today.
We would like you to see the challenge of these young kettle makers, who are creating sake with new sensibilities while preserving tradition.


Featured Artists
The 15th Miyazaki Kanchi | Seiro Suzuki | Naoki Sakai | Tsuneo Nakazawa | Shunsai Hata III