Nanbu Ironware (Morioka)

Nanbu ironware, which has a wide variety of types and uses, from stately tea kettles, iron kettles, and modern pots to accessories such as wind chimes, is a representative traditional craft of Iwate. The area around Morioka has long been rich in raw materials for iron sand, river sand, clay, lacquer, and charcoal, making it ideal for producing castings. It is said that Nanbu ironware began when the lord of the Nanbu domain hired casters and pot makers from Koshu and Kyoto to make tea ceremony pots, weapons, temple bells, and other items. Since the Meiji era, Nanbu ironware has received high praise overseas, and in 1975, Nanbu ironware was designated as the first traditional craft in Japan.