Tetsubin - History

History

It is not clear when the first tetsubin pots appeared in Japan, but many believe that the popularity of the tetsubin pot grew alongside sencha, a form a leaf tea. China introduced Japan to sencha around the middle of the 17th century. Sencha was not considered as formal as matcha, the common powdered green tea at the time. Throughout the 18th century, more and more people started drinking sencha as an informal setting for sharing a cup of tea with friends or family. As more people drank sencha, the popularity of the tetsubin teapot grew. The tetsubin teapot is most probably not an original design, but rather shaped by other tea pots around at the time. The 5 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 from copper, whereas tetsubins are traditionally made out of iron. Some people wonder why the tetsubin was developed, when a perfectly usable vessel such as the yakkan would have worked. Many believe that tea drinkers preferred the taste of water from an iron pot over the taste of water from a copper pot, which was what the yakkan was primarily made of. Throughout the 18th century, tetsubin teapots became a standard household utensil for heating water, and make tea. As the use of these teapots increased, so too did the intricacy. During the 19th century, tetsubin designs went from a simple basic iron teapot, to an elaborately engraved masterpiece