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Tetsubin (鉄瓶) are Japanesecast-iron kettles with a pouring spout, a lid, and a handle crossing over the top, used for boiling and pouring hot water for drinking purposes, such as for makingtea.
Tetsubin are traditionally heated overcharcoal. In the Japanese art ofchanoyu, the special portablebrazier for this is thebinkake (瓶掛). (Seelist of Japanese tea ceremony equipment).Tetsubin are often elaborately decorated withrelief designs on the outside. They range widely in size, and many have unusual shapes, making them popular withcollectors. A relatively smalltetsubin may hold around 0.5litres of water; large ones may hold around 5 litres.
The historical origin of thetetsubin is not certain. At least one authoritative Japanese source[1] states that it developed from the spouted and handled waterkettle calledtedorigama that was already being used inchanoyu in the era ofSen no Rikyū (1522–1591). During the 19th century,infused tea became more popular and tetsubin were considered primarilystatus symbols rather than functional kitchen items.
Outside Japan, a frequently seen variant is a cast-ironteapot that outwardly resembles atetsubin. This type of teapot is glazed withenamel on the inside to make it more practical fortea brewing, though it cannot be used to heat water because that would break the enamel coating. In the west, these teapots are commonly referred to astetsubin, although the Japanese call themtetsukyūsu (鉄急須), or iron teapot, to make a distinction from the kettle. Cast-iron teapots often come with atea strainer that fits inside.
Theprefectures ofIwate andYamagata are best known for producingtetsubin as well as iron teapots.
It is not clear when the first tetsubin kettles appeared in Japan, but one hypothesis is that the popularity of the tetsubin grew alongsidesencha, a form of leaf tea. China introduced Japan to sencha around the middle of the 17th century.[2] Sencha was not considered as formal asmatcha, the common powdered green tea at the time. Throughout the 18th century, people started drinking sencha as an informal setting for sharing a cup of tea with friends or family.[3] As more people drank sencha, the popularity of the tetsubin grew. The tetsubin is most probably not an original design, but rather shaped by other kettles around at the time. The five closest relatives to the tetsubin are the tedorikama, the toyama, the mizusosogi, the dobin, and the yakkan.
The yakkan is the closest relative to the tetsubin, the main difference is that the yakkan is made fromcopper, whereas tetsubins are traditionally made out ofiron. Some people have wondered why the tetsubin was developed, when a perfectly usable vessel such as the yakkan would have worked. Tea drinkers may have preferred the taste of water from an iron kettle over the taste of water from a copper kettle. Throughout the 18th century, tetsubin kettles became a standard household utensil for heating water to make tea with. As the use of these kettles increased, so too did the intricacy. During the 19th century, tetsubin designs went from simple basic iron kettles, to elaborately engraved masterpieces.
