Nambu Ironware Swallow Pot

Water Kettle Teapot for Nambu Ironware Studio Oitomi

This small iron kettle inspired by 1980s design in modern lifestyle with small family, transforming the image of traditional Nambu ironware; this reproduced Swallow Pot has fixed handle drawing straight lines unlike the movable round handle of typical Tetsubin to give completely new impression with added usability. This product preserves anemia-alleviating function of Nambu ironware while preventing rust by the traditional Kamayaki technique. This smaller sized Tetsubin serves both as an iron kettle and a Kyusu teapot, overcoming the limitations of enameled Tesubin teapot in the market.

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Two in one Nambu Ironware Swallow Pot by Akira Kikuchi

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Water Kettle Teapot by Akira Kikuchi

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Akira Kikuchi Two in one Nambu Ironware Swallow Pot

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Akira Kikuchi Water Kettle Teapot

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Akira Kikuchi Design Team Photo

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Nambu Ironware Studio OitomiBrand Logo

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Unique Properties

Traditional Nambu Tetsubin has some drawbacks when used by a small family with modern lifestyle. Thus, its size is reduced for easier handling, the round shape was replaced with square shape in straight line as the water tends to remain at the bottom. Movable round handle is fixed and given straight line to hold easily, while the handle and the spout are set at the same height to pour by a little twist of the wrist. This Tetsubin is named Swallow Pot for its swallow-like appearance.

Tags

kettle, teaware, teapot, ironware, cast iron

Production Technology

Cooking with ironware is effective to take iron content to our body. However, ironware with enameled finish for rust prevention eliminates this benefit. Oitomi incorporates traditional Kamayaki method to form oxide film on iron surface for rusting, allowing Tetsubin to supply iron without rusting. Oitomi is working with Kinki University to reduce CO2 emissions during manufacturing by replacing typical coke furnaces fuel with bio-coke made from apple pomace considered as carbon neutral material.

Project Duration

Development of the prototype began in the 1980s, and the latest improved version was released on January 7th, 2021.

Operation Flow

This Tetsubin functions both as a kettle and a teapot. The main body has a flat bottom unlike traditional Nambu Tetsubin, so that it is very stable when put on a stovetop or flat surfaces. The handle draws straight line yet round surface, which feels easy on hand; the angle of the handle attached to the main body keeps hand away from the hot body, and pouring is easy just by a slight twist of a wrist. Wooden knob on the lid allows to pick up the lid easily without touching the hot iron surface.

Inspiration

Sudden and disastrous spread of Covid-19 throughout the world completely changed our notion of daily life—all of a sudden we confronted with harsh realities by losing someone close to us; we had to completely stop our daily routines―commuting to work or school, or going out to enjoy holidays or seeing families; even daily glossary shopping had to be skipped not to get in touch with people. Everyone in the world confronted with Covid issue realized what we had used to think natural and common is no longer normal. This made us look into our own mind, through slower lifestyles or mindfulness—in detail, people took notice with more spiritual ideas and activities such as “zen” or “Japanese tea ceremony”, and traditional Nambu Tetsubin received attention as an instrument to be used in such activities and ceremonies. Within such trend of our times, the purpose of producing this product is to find a true balance between user-friendliness and Japanese traditional craftsmanship in a product used in our daily life, in order to bring up the product to a new stage, suitable for younger generations with modern lifestyles. Today, our family composition has become smaller with less number of family members, and selection and usage of kitchen tools is more selective yet personalized in our modern lifestyles to look for additional values, such as health-giving element or good design statement. Within this trend, the design qualities and its large size of the traditional Nambu tetsubin no longer meet the needs of the market. For example, traditional Nambu tetsubin is equipped with a handle designed to be hung over the fire at the fireplace—therefore it is necessary to change its design more suitable for today’s dining and living environment. This is one reason the popularity of smaller, more colorful Tetsubin has grown larger in today’s market. However, the quality and identity of traditional Nambu Tesubin has been diminished within such trend at the same time. Inner surface of most of tetsubins in the market has enamel finish for preventing rust, but this finish prevents iron to dissolve into the water, a known benefit of Nambu Tetsubin for health reason. This modern and functional Tetsubin is our attempt and the response for recreating and re-releasing the Tetsubin after 30 years of its production, in order to take Nambu Tetsubin into a new height by integrating the quality, functionality and good user-friendly design for Nambu Tetsubin suitable for today’s lifestyle, through reexamining both tradition and today’s trend. In order to design a small iron kettle to cater for today’s family with smaller make-up, while providing personalized design statement with modern functionality, past Nambu ironware products were reexamined. Upon designing our small Tetsubin to cater towards modern families, we found one of our products produced in the 1980s would fit in this direction. Compared to this 1980s Tetsubin, it was quite obvious that traditional Nambu Tetsubin give some negative impressions within this direction for its massive, large dimensions and weight with old-fashioned design features. Some of those Nambu ironware produced in 1980's had different design direction from those traditionao Nambu ironware, reflecting the trend influence of Scandinavian design or mid-century design. Unfortunately, Japanese market trend of those days was more toward basic traditional Japanese design, therefore such modern design was soon discontinued due to a lack of popularity from the distributor and retails channels. However, today's market has widely accepted Scandinavian design and mid-century design, while younger generation also took notice and realized the value of Nambu Tetsubin as a traditional product; within this context, the design features of this Nambu Tetsubin produced in 1980's seemed to be suitable for today's small families looking for modern functionality and design features. This became true when this 80's Tetsubin was re-released that the product received big attention in social media, illustrating how this product could fit for today’s needs, and break the archaic impression of traditional Nambu ironware. For final production to be re-releaved in the actual market, the design was finalized by incorporating the requests from actual users. It is said that production and use of Nambu Tetsubin started about 400 years ago. Originally, a large teakettle fixed in the corner of a room was used during Japanese tea ceremony, while it was soon transformed for more daily usage by making it more portable for easier handling, with a smaller body and a handle. These features have been preserved until today, giving the unique appearance to Nambu Tetsubin product. Its handicraft method is widely recognized as one of the most well-known Japanese traditional handicraft product known as Nambu ironware. Traditional craftmanship and design features of Nambu ironware has been inherited in the Nambu ironware manufacture, Oitomi, and the seventh generation artisan of this manufacture, Akira Kikuchi. However, traditional design of Nambu Tetsubin has some drawbacks for daily usage in modern lifestyles and environment. For example, the size of a traditional Tetsubin is quite large and massive; water tends to remain at the bottom of the body because of the round shape; the lid of traditional Nambu Tetsubin does not have a hole to release excess steams, thus hot water could boiled over from the body (the reason for not providing steam-relieving hole is to enjoy the “ticking sound” of a lid hitting the body of the pot when water is boiling during tea ceremonies); the movable handle was often difficult to handle and pour because keeping balance with the heavy weight of the body was difficult. The new design features of this Tetsubin are the responses for those issues found in those massive, archaic traditional Nambu Tetsubin, promoting dramatically new impression for Nambu Tetsubin suitable within modern lifestyles of a small family.

Project Overview

Nambu Ironware Swallow Pot Water Kettle Teapot has been a Silver winner in the Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design award category in the year 2023 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Image Credits

For design images and photos please credit Akira Kikuchi.

Silver Recognition

Akira Kikuchi was recognized with the coveted Silver A' Design Award in 2024, a testament to excellence of their work Nambu Ironware Swallow Pot Water Kettle Teapot.

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