{"product_id":"tedori-chagama-by-living-national-treasure-takahashi-keitei-cast-iron-tea-kettle-with-box","title":"Tedori Chagama by Living National Treasure Takahashi Keitei - Cast Iron Tea Kettle with Box","description":"Experience authentic Japanese tea ceremony tradition with this Tedori Chagama by Living National Treasure Takahashi Keitei. This Japanese Cast Iron Kettle serves as a Tea Ceremony Kettle and Yamagata Iron Art, featuring Bronze Hoju Lid and Sand Cast Texture—a must-have for any Tea Ceremony Collector seeking Japanese Iron Craft and Authentic Japan Art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Takahashi Keitei (高橋敬典, 1920-2009)\u003cbr\u003e• Designation: Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuho, 1996)\u003cbr\u003e• Form: Tedori-gama (hand-held kettle)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Sand-cast iron (igata)\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Late 20th century\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Yamagata Prefecture, Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Height approx. 20 cm × Width approx. 21 cm (7.9\" × 8.3\")\u003cbr\u003e• Lid: Bronze with hoju (jewel) knob\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Signed tomobako (共箱) with artist calligraphy\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent — no cracks, no water leakage, fully functional\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe tedori-gama represents the most intimate scale of tea ceremony practice. Unlike larger kama suspended over a sunken hearth, the tedori is designed to be held directly in the host's hands — an act that collapses the distance between craftsman, practitioner, and guest into a single gesture. This physical contact embodies the principle of ichigo ichie: one encounter, one chance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTakahashi Keitei received designation as Living National Treasure in 1996, recognizing his role in preserving Yamagata's centuries-old iron casting traditions while advancing them as contemporary art. His kettles bridge the functional and the sculptural, honoring both the rigor of classical craft and the silence of refined form.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe body's gentle bulbous shape and fine sand-cast texture reveal Keitei's meticulous control of surface quality. Each granule of the casting contributes to even heat distribution during use — beauty that serves purpose.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*\"The kettle holds water. The water holds silence. The silence holds everything.\"*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Yamagata Tradition**: Yamagata iron casting dates to the Heian period (794-1185), when traveling monks brought metalworking techniques to the region. Over centuries, Yamagata artisans refined sand-mold casting into an art form, producing kettles prized for their balanced weight, resonant sound, and superior heat retention.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Tedori Form**: The tedori-gama's compact proportions are calculated for hand-held use in small tea gatherings. The scroll-shaped kan-tsuki (ring handle lugs) allow secure grip when lifting with a traditional cloth, preventing accidents during service. The form demands precision — too heavy and the host cannot hold it steadily; too light and the iron cannot retain heat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Hoju Knob**: The bronze lid's hoju (wish-fulfilling jewel) knob carries Buddhist iconography — representing enlightenment and spiritual attainment. This symbolic element transforms a functional lid into a meditation object, visible to guests throughout the ceremony.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Living National Treasure Legacy**: Keitei's designation confirmed his place among Japan's most important metalwork artists. His signed tomobako bearing the inscription \"釜師 敬典\" (Kettle Master Keitei) authenticates this as his direct work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【基本情報】\u003cbr\u003e• 作家：高橋敬典（1920-2009）\u003cbr\u003e• 認定：人間国宝（1996年認定）\u003cbr\u003e• 形状：手取釜\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：砂型鋳造\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：20世紀後期\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：山形県\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：高さ約20cm × 横幅約21cm\u003cbr\u003e• 蓋：銅蓋（宝珠摘み）\u003cbr\u003e• 付属：共箱（作家署名入り）\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：良好（割れ・水漏れなし）\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e人間国宝・高橋敬典による手取釜です。手取釜は亭主が直接手に持って客に湯を運ぶための釜であり、少人数の茶席において親密な空間を生み出します。山形鋳物の伝統は平安時代に遡り、敬典はその技法を現代の美術工芸として昇華させました。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e胴部の穏やかな膨らみと細やかな鋳肌は、砂型の精度と鉄の特性を知り尽くした職人技の結晶です。蓋の宝珠摘みは仏教的象徴を帯び、巻物状の鐶付は機能美を体現しています。1996年の人間国宝認定は、日本の金工史における敬典の重要性を証明するものです。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days\u003cbr\u003e• Carrier: Japan Post EMS \/ UPS (with tracking)\u003cbr\u003e• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*A kettle made by a Living National Treasure — holding centuries of silence in cast iron.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61580191629682,"sku":"241223-a-0914","price":1839.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m91864862636_1.jpg?v=1770686648","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/tedori-chagama-by-living-national-treasure-takahashi-keitei-cast-iron-tea-kettle-with-box","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}