Traditional Japanese southern cast iron (Nambu Tekki) company, Oigen

In the 17th century, the history of the Nambu Tekki started at Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture. But the cast iron industry at Oshu City had already existed in the 11th century. They didn’t have the name of Nambu Tekki yet.

One of the long-established Japanese cast iron company Oigen has preserved the tradition of Oshu City.

The company launched the introducing the designer and the export to an overseas territory at an early date. And because of the functionality of the Nambu Tekki receives the attention in recent years, Oigen shows its presence in the industry world.

Three merits of the Nambu Tekki cookware

1.Supplying iron

It is hard to take iron from only the foods. When you use a cast iron cookware, you can have the important nutrient eluted from it.

2.Superior to a heat storage

Once you boil the water, you can cook with a low flame. And the cookware holds the temperature of the stew, meat, and soup.

3.High thermal efficiency

Because the cast iron of Nambu Tekki uniformly transfers the heat, it performs cooking without uneven grilling.

4.Strong and last long

Though you may feel a little heavy to hold it at first, you hardly break the teapot even if you drop it from the hand (take care not to drop on your foot or teacups).

5.Compliant for IH cooking heater

Because all of the tetsubin products are made of pure iron, they can conduct electricity.

Oigen’s cast iron cookware

The cast iron industry in Oshu City started in the 11th century. A head of a powerful family in the east Tohoku area Fujiwara Kiyohira (1056-1128) invited the cast iron craftsmen from the today’s Shiga Prefecture and established the local industry.

After 400 years, one of the daimyo in Nambu domain (today’s Iwate Prefecture) who loved tea ceremony invited a kettle maker Koizumi Nizaemon from Kyoto and made him create a new tea kettle.

Since then, the cast iron made in Nambu domain became the most popular brand around the country.

In 1852, Oigen Company was established at Mizusawa Area in Oshu City. They contenue to produce and impruve the traditional crafts overcoming various hardships including the change of the people’s lifestyle and the Great East Japan Earthquake.