Made in Japan : 400 Years of Nambu Tekki IronwareClosed

Visitors will be introduced to Nambu Tekki—a 400-year old ironware technique from forest- and iron-rich Iwate Prefecture—through eighty works and related reference materials. Although such ironware has become completely engrained in the traditional Japanese lifestyle, artisans continue to refine their craft to create new forms of beauty.

In recent years, Nambu Tekki ironware has experienced a resurgence in popularity due to consumers’ increasing preference for natural and hand-made products. The trend began when upscale tea salons in France and Belgium began ordering colorful, custom-made teapots from Nambu Tekki artisans and continued to spread throughout Europe and the United States. Finally, it has come back home to Japan for reappraisal.

Workshops are increasingly trying new concepts, such as incorporating Scandinavian designs and feminine aesthetics. Ideas suggested by Tokyo-based designers have also found success. Even pioneering Japanese product designer Sori Yanagi (1915-2011), mostly known for large-scale steel projects such as the Tokyo Olympics cauldron and overpasses, went small and produced a set of Nambu Tekki kitchen tools in 2003. Their craft is every bit as meticulous as that of his more prominent creations.

Nambu Tekki started in the mid-17th century, just after Nambu Toshinao—daimyo of the Nambu clan and ruler of what is today northern Iwate Prefecture—completed work on Kozukata Castle in Morioka Domain. As part of his town building and cultural promotion efforts, he invited casters and kettle craftsmen from Kyoto and other locations to work for him. These artisans created Buddhist items, armor, and weapons, as well as teakettles to spread the practice of the tea ceremony. Eventually, daimyos and even the Shogunate in Edo began to prize these items as gifts, and Nambu Tekki ironware became one of Morioka’s top exports. The technique suffered a huge blow during World War II due to restrictions on iron usage and artisans getting conscripted into the military. The postwar period also saw decreasing demand for Nambu Tekki ironware as aluminum and other new materials began to emerge. Despite such setbacks, Nambu Tekki ironware from Moriaka and Oshu’s Mizusawa district—another center for the craft—was designated an official traditional craft product in 1975.

The decorousness and warmth of Nambu Tekki products have made them some of the most renowned Made-in-Japan products in the West, and the time is now right for a reappraisal of the technique’s true value.