southern ironware

[Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture] “Iwachu Ironware Museum” is a place where Nanbu ironware gathers! The world's largest iron kettle will greet you.

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  • Last updated: 2023.05.24

Speaking of traditional crafts from Iwate Prefecture, Nanbu Ironware is famous. It is highly rated not only domestically but also internationally. It has many fans, especially in advanced fashion and art cities such as Paris and Milan.

The place with the largest collection of Nanbu ironware in Iwate Prefecture is the Iwachu Ironware Museum in Morioka City. You can see a variety of Nanbu ironware, from huge and heavy ones to small and cute ones.

This time, I would like to introduce the Iwachu Ironware Museum, which is the best place to see Nanbu Ironware.

Huge ironware catches the eye

Right at the entrance of the Iwachu Ironware Museum, there is a Nanbu jumbo pot with a diameter of 2 meters. It weighs 1200kg. The height is 75cm. Apparently, he even used this to make imoni, a local dish from Iwate.

In fact, you can make imoni for 3,000 people at once.

jumbo iron kettle

When you enter the building, the first thing you see is the huge Nanbu ironware. This time it's an iron kettle. This one is 150cm tall, which is twice as tall as the previous jumbo pot. It weighs 350kg.

This size iron kettle is the largest not only in Japan but also in the world. It can boil water for 2000 people at once.

You can touch the exhibits

Unusually for a place like this, you can basically touch the exhibits inside the museum, such as jumbo pots and iron kettles.

After all, it is a meaningful experience to be able to enjoy the unique rugged texture and moist feel of Nanbu Tekki. When you actually go there, you can literally feel its charm.

A large Nanbu glockenspiel is placed in front of the iron kettle. Of course, you can actually hit it too. Children often try to play the songs because they are in a proper scale.

Workshop tours available

Once you pass through the exhibition zone, the actual workshop will appear. It is a strange space where the entire room is dyed in the color of iron. It may be due to daily iron filings deposited on the walls and floor. You can feel the accumulation of many years.

You can actually see the craftsmen at work. Create an uneven mold with very fine sand. Then, iron heated to 1400℃ is poured into it and molded.

Craftsmen carry out all processes by hand

A characteristic of Nambu ironware is the intricate patterns on its surface. These pieces are individually hand-made by craftsmen. In addition, we perform rust prevention as a process unique to Nambu Tekki.

Place it in a charcoal fire at a high temperature of 900 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. The way they work with sweat dripping from their foreheads is exactly what a craftsman looks like.

After preventing rust, lacquer and tooth black are applied to complete the work.

The processes you can see differ depending on the day of your visit.

It takes three weeks to complete the iron kettle. It takes two weeks to make the mold, then a week to pour the molten iron, let it harden, and polish and paint it.

As you can see, the work is not completed in one day, so the content that the craftsmen are working on differs depending on the day they go. If there's something you'd like to see (for example, see 1400 degree hot iron being poured into a mold), call ahead and ask.

If you do that, they will tell you that you can see it on that day, so you can go accordingly.

When you see that all the work is done by craftsmen, your perspective on Nambu Tekki will change again. When you look at it up close, touch it, and realize that its rugged texture and delicate patterns are all made by hand, you can feel how real it is.

Buy your favorite Nanbu ironware and take it home

There is also an exhibition and sales corner for Nanbu ironware. You can purchase your favorite products here.

When most people think of Nanbu Tekki, they have a rugged, black impression. However, here you can find a truly rich variety of ironware that defies conventional wisdom.

100 color variations

Especially the colors are rich. We have red, blue and green products. There are 100 colors in total and we export to over 20 countries. There is a wide variety of prices, from items that can be purchased for around 500 yen to items that are surprisingly expensive.

Cooking utensils such as frying pans and rice pots are recommended.

Nambu ironware has a thick wall that allows heat to be transmitted gradually and evenly. Therefore, it is ideal for everyday cooking utensils. One of the most popular is the frying pan.

Compared to a regular frying pan, it is heavier even though it is the same size. It's a good idea to actually hold it in your hand and visualize yourself frying vegetables, and make sure that it's safe to use every day before you buy it.

A frying pan can be purchased for around 3000 yen.

Although rice pots (rice cookers) are more expensive than frying pans (about 12,000 yen), they are popular because they can cook extremely delicious rice using the pressure of a Nanbu ironware.

Not only can you use it to cook rice, but you can also make curry and stew that are very delicious.

A teapot with fans all over the world

One of the representative forms of Nanbu ironware is the teapot. Kyusu (teapot) is very popular among foreigners as well. Traditional and chic teapots are preferred and are often delivered to cafes in Europe.

Summary about the Rock Iron Museum

This time, we introduced the Iwachu Ironware Museum, where various types of Nanbu ironware are gathered. It offers a lot of interesting things to see, such as the huge ironware set up there and the opportunity to watch the craftsmen at work live.

Another appeal is that you can purchase your favorite ironware at a low price. In addition to larger items such as iron kettles, small items such as Nanbu wind chimes and coasters, which are included in the ``100 Japanese Soundscapes to Preserve,'' are also popular and easy to take home.

You can enter with a stroller, so this is a recommended spot for families with small children.

INFORMATION

  • Name: Rock Ironware Museum
  • Location: 2-23-9 Minamisenboku, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
  • Phone number: 019-635-2505
  • Official URL: https://iwachu.co.jp/

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