japanese antique hibachi, paulownia wood heating pot, plant holder

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

An old Japanese heating pot or hibachi. These pots were used in both homes and shops, to keep rooms warm and at the same time, with an iron kettle placed over the ash and hot coals, ensuring a constant supply of hot water to make tea for unexpected guests. They were also used in the tea ceremony to keep waiting guests warm.

The hibachi, a local handicraft of Kanezawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, is carved from a tree trunk section, hollowed out in the center. It is made of kiri or paulownia wood, which has a lovely grain. Not only is kiri wood light, making the pot easy to carry, but it is also a very heat and insect resistant wood and the smooth finish is pleasant to touch.

The hibachi is a smaller and unusual, tall, cylindrical shape. These old pots were often embellished with gold maki-e lacquer work, but the plain ones, like thi pot, make a beautifully simple decorative piece, not distracting from other items in a display.

The pot for holding the ash and charcoal, is made of copper. It has signs of use and is tarnished. The wooden hibachi itself is in very beautiful condition with no cracks to the wood.

Although old hibachi are no longer used for their original purpose they have become a very popular piece of Japanese mingei folk craft, used as an interior accent. They make a great plant holder or look wonderful displayed together with a special ornament on the top of an old antique chest or cabinet. They are a lovely reminder of days gone by. (We have a pair of these hibachi. Please inquire if interested).

- measures around 23 cm (9”) in diameter x 21 cm (8.3”) tall.
- weighs 1,280 gm.

(listing for one hibachi only)

SHIPPING INFORMATION
- please read our shipping policy.
- we use recycle packaging wherever possible and wrap for safety, rather than appearance!

ABOUT OUR VINTAGE, ANTIQUE AND OTHER ITEMS
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.

Information regarding the item and it’s age is obtained from dealers and our personal research. We do our best to give you the correct information but please be aware that we cannot guarantee this information.

Please message us prior to purchase with any questions you may have about our products.

KOTATSU AND HIBACHI
The history of the kotatsu goes back to the fourteenth century and it began with the Japanese open cooking hearth, sunk into the floor, known as the irori. Charcoal was used for cooking and heating in the traditional Japanese household and it was used to heat the irori too.

Gradually a seating platform was added to the irori and it became important for both cooking and heating. A quilt was placed on top of the wooden platform, trapping the heat of the charcoal burner, keeping those seated around the hearth nice and warm. The hearth became a place where family and friends would gather to cook, eat and socialize. This hearth called, hori gotatsu was the precursor to the kotatsu.

The moveable kotatsu was created later, originating from the concept of the hori gotatsu. This kotatsu came about with the popular use of tatami matting in Japanese homes. Instead of placing the charcoal in the irori, it was placed in a pot, put inside the kotatsu on the tatami matting. This allowed the kotatsu to be moved around to places where heat was needed. This was known as the oki-gotatsu.

There were a variety of pots used for heating rooms including ceramic, wooden and metal pots of differing sizes. These pots were often made in pairs and came in various styles; beautiful wooden zelkova and paulownia pots with gold maki-e, blue and white hand painted ceramic or transfer ware pots and lacquer covered pots, to name a few. The larger pots (hibachi) were used for heating rooms and the smaller pots (te-aburi) were used as hand warmers.

The traditional role of hibachi in Japanese life was mostly to provide heat, but they were also important from a social viewpoint. The offering of tea played a significant part in Japanese hospitality and the hibachi played a role of always keeping water hot for the unannounced arrival of a guest or customer. A guest served tea was also seated closest to the hibachi for warmth in winter. Incense was sometimes placed in the coals to give off a pleasant aroma for the enjoyment of guests. In this manner a merchant and his client would conclude their business over a cup of tea. Every establishment from noodle shop to geisha house had a hibachi for the comfort of its clientele.

In the Japanese home the hibachi was important as a family gathering place. Japanese homes relied on the hibachi as a means of heat in winter, so it was near the hibachi that families talked, ate, drank tea, and slept, with the master of the house sitting the closest, sometimes smoking and drinking sake!

Nowadays, hibachi are no longer needed as a heat source, but instead have become very popular as plant holders creating a lovely interior accent and at the same time reminding us of days gone by.

MINGEI
Mingei are the tools and utensils that were used daily by the common people in Japan. They were inexpensive, simple and functional. Usually produced by hand, in large quantities, their artists were anonymous. They became representative of the local area where they were produced.

The word Mingei combines “min” meaning common people and “gei” meaning art - the art of the common people. It was coined by the Japanese philosopher Sōetsu Yanagi. He found beauty in ordinary crafts for daily use and argued that true beauty could be found only in the objects made by unknown people, in a spirit of selfless innocence and in close harmony with nature.