The relief casting on this kettle is superb. The background design is composed of alternating panels. On the front and back, ancient Chinese seal script characters fill each side, overlapped by alternating panels with the purely Japanese design of “hanabishi,” a popular motif in which the petals of the “karahana” (China flower) create four-petal flower diamonds. There is a wavy relief cast border separating the four panels. Cast in higher relief atop the seal script characters are two large freely-rendered auspicious Kanji characters for the word “fuku” which means happiness or good fortune. The heavy cast bronze lid is topped with “tachibana” (mandarin orange) flower bud finial.

Tetsubin are cast iron water kettles which were popular in Japan as everyday household utensils and for informal and semi-formal tea drinking. During the 19th century, tetsubin made especially as tea utensils came to be highly esteemed. Fine ornamental tetsubin were preferred by the upper classes for the sencha style tea ceremony, which was less formal and proscribed than the “chanoyu” tea ceremony.

During the 18th century, a craze had developed in Japan for bunjin, the art and culture of the Chinese literati scholar/painter. One of their daily customs was the drinking of sencha. This custom was adopted by the growing class of Japanese Confucian scholars. The artistic situation in Kyoto around 1800 was influenced by the activities of these Japanese literati, and the sencha cult became one of their favorite pastimes. The interest in sencha soon spread from the bunjin-enthusiasts to the common people in Kyoto, especially to the rich merchants.

It was in the first decades of the 19th century that relief decoration on iron kettles first came into demand. Relief designs required the lost-wax technique of casting that was practiced by bronze-casters. It was within this cultural and artistic environment that the metal-caster Shikata Yasunosuke was making tetsubin in Kyoto. He had adopted the name of his father as his artist name and called himself Ryubundo. By using the lost-wax method, he was able to make relief decorated tea utensils in the style of the bunjin, which specifically suited the tastes of the sencha enthusiasts at that time. (For a more detailed history, see TETSUBIN by P.L.W. Arts.) This is a truly unique example of a Japanese tetsubin in Chinese taste, and it exemplifies an important historical link in the initial development of relief cast tea ceremony utensils in Japan. It would make a wonderful addition to any tetsubin collection.

CONDITION is excellent, with normal rusting on the interior and calcium deposits on the spout. DIMENSIONS: 5” (12.7 cm) high to top of pot; 10” (25.4 cm) high to top of handle; 7” (17.8 cm) diameter.