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 The
Tetsubin (pronounced “tet-SUE-bin”) teapot is a
Japanese teapot made of cast iron. A typical Tetsubin
teapot has a geometric, organic or animal pattern
decoration on the side where its spout faces your
right. This is because the pot is held in the left
hand in Chanoyu, the Japanese
tea ceremony. Its design is thought to have been
influenced by the kettles of the common Japanese
households of the 17th and 18th
centuries. These kettles were simple in design and
undecorated. They were typically hung on the fireplace
hearth to provide hot water, warmth and humidity to a
household; they were extremely practical pieces of
kitchenware.
During this time
period in Japan, tea drinking was not popular with the
common citizen. Only the wealthy could afford Matcha,
a type of powder used to brew tea. When the Chinese
method of tea brewing called Sencha (brewing with
whole leaves instead of the powder) was introduced to
Japan, tea drinking became affordable and more
accessible to common people. Despite Sencha, Chinese
teapot styles were expensive, and the Japanese people
adopted their hearth kettles to brew their tea. Thus,
the Tetsubin teapot was created.
The Tetsubin teapot
remained largely unmodified and simple until the 19th
century, when Japanese art, which was gradually being
influenced by the Chinese mainland as well, exploded
in a cultural revolution. Over time, the Tetsubin
style and design became more elaborate. Soon, a wide
range of Tetsubin teapots were available, from the
simple, hearth kettle style, to garishly designed
works of art. The Tetsubin teapot gradually evolved
into a cultural status symbol for its owner. The more
elaborate the teapot one owned, the more prestigious
one was (or wanted to be) in social status.
The Tetsubin teapot
was also adopted to play a small role in Japanese tea
ceremonies despite its common roots. In Ryakubon, a
small ceremonial setting requiring a limited amount of
tea ware, the Tetsubin is used for preparing tea. In
Kaiseki, another setting where a small meal is served
before the formal ceremony, the Tetsubin is used with
the meal. Also, in outdoor ceremonies, the Tetsubin
sometimes replaces the Cha-Gama, due to the fact it is
smaller and has a spout. The Cha-Gama is slightly
awkward outdoors, because it is much larger, has no
spout and requires its water to be ladled into the tea
cups.
Today, the Tetsubin
teapot is a reflection of an important aspect of
Japanese culture and history. Its design and shape is
simple and beautiful, and its use is extremely
practical. Many tea enthusiasts claim the tea brewed
in the cast iron Tetsubin teapot tastes better than
tea brewed in any other type of material. Highly
collectable, Tetsubin teapots are hand-cast by master
artists to this day, and have undergone a marvelous
evolution from their early days as common household
items into elaborate works of art and true reflections
of the Japanese art culture.
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