Kettle makers must live long as he is a mere 6th generation master, the name Hikobee having been given by Grand Teamasters of the Sen family traditions about 360 years ago. I found him charming, modest and unassuming.
The cast-iron tea kettles (chagama) made by Mr Sasaki are works of art, but also have utility. They are cast in many shapes (I have seen one shaped like a bat (lucky symbol) in flight) generally from laboriously made "waste moulds", meaning that they are able to be used only once, of a sand/clay mix called mane. Japanese cast-iron flows well and chagama are impressively thin. For "A Tea-House for the City", an exhibition I co-curated almost ten years ago, a kettle was designed and cast in Scotland. Those concerned were impressed with the quality of the Japanese kettles and we were unable to create the fineness, and so lightness, of the authentic kettles.
Nevertheless, it was a thing of great beauty. Weight is significant because the kettle, some large, is lifted by means of split rings (kan) hooked through pierced lugs (kantsuki, often decorative eg. acorns, demon masks) on either side; even when full the lifting and lowering of the kettle should be achieved with an apparently effortless grace and precision.
Kettles may be plain, slightly rough from the material of the mould or decorated with many themes: pine trees, hares, mountains or poetic inscriptions. Mr Sasaki’s vary greatly in style. Some have tiny, pyramidical, abstract "hailstones" over the whole of their upper surface, an ancient style. Think punky brass-studded belts. If you dare.
Alex runs East Teas in Borough Market, London, on Fridays and Saturdays. Email epoch@eastteas.com.
