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Japanese teapots and iron kettles: 5 worth the weight
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Japanese teapots to buy: two ceramic (Banko, Tokoname) and three cast-iron
- Only Oigen states induction at both 100V and 200V; Iwachu 12822 boils and brews
- Iwachu publishes English care instructions; Azmaya makes a left-handed version
The five
| Best for | Where to get it | Score | Street price, incl. tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| A strainer of about a hundred holes opened by hand — and dishwasher-safe — if you can’t decide | Fujisou Shiko Kyusu, large, yakishime See price |
87/100 | ¥6,050 (street price) |
| Boils the water and brews the tea — one pot, 650 ml | Iwachu Tetsubin-kyusu, type 5 Shin-Arare, induction-ready See price |
80/100 | ¥10,500 (street price) |
| 220 g, and there is a left-handed version | Azmaya Flat Kyusu, side handle, udei See price |
77/100 | ¥7,700 (street price) |
| Induction at both 100V and 200V, stated — with a base built for it | Oigen Tetsubin ‘Shinonome Kikko’, 1 litre See price |
66/100 | ¥14,378 (street price) |
| The classic Nambu pattern, 0.9 litres, gas or induction | Iwachu Tetsubin, type 7 Arare, induction-ready See price |
65/100 | ¥17,200 (street price) |
Most of these are sold on Rakuten Ichiba, which generally ships within Japan only. Buy them in a shop while you are here, or use a forwarding service — and check your own country’s rules before you post a knife or alcohol home.
A strainer of about a hundred holes opened by hand — and dishwasher-safe
Fujisou Shiko Kyusu, large, yakishime
- From a Banko-ware workshop in Yokkaichi
- No separate strainer to take out and scrub; pours cleanly to the last drop
- About 450 g; also made in blue bellflower, powdered-white and cherry glazes
Why it made the five
-
About a hundred strainer holes, opened individually by hand, in the body itself
-
About 420 cc — two or three cups
-
The maker allows dishwasher use, which ceramic teapots rarely do
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Each one made individually, so shape and colour vary
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Right for: Wanting a handmade teapot you can wash without thinking about it.
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Not for: Choosing by review volume.
-
Worth knowing: Never on a flame or in an oven. Being individually made, shapes and colours vary. In a dishwasher, load it so nothing can strike it. It is breakable.
Score breakdown — 87/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★★ | Individually made with hand-opened strainer holes, and a strainer with no metal: two points |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥6,050 on Rakuten — under ¥7,000 |
| Easy to live with | ★★★★★ | About 450 g, dishwasher allowed, and nothing to remove and clean: the maximum |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 4.75 from 4 Rakuten reviews |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | The only piece here with a hand-opened strainer whose maker also permits a dishwasher |
Boils the water and brews the tea — one pot, 650 ml
Iwachu Tetsubin-kyusu, type 5 Shin-Arare, induction-ready
- Iwachu’s ‘kettle-and-teapot’ (tetsubin-kyusu)
- Makes two or three cups
Why it made the five
-
Boils as a kettle and brews as a teapot, strainer included
-
No enamel inside, so it can go on gas, a flame or induction
-
About 1.3 kg — lighter than the full-size kettles
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650 ml to the brim
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Right for: Wanting one object that does both, or trying cast iron without spending much.
-
Not for: Wanting a larger kettle for boiling a lot at once.
-
Worth knowing: With no enamel inside, dry it completely after every use. Used as a teapot, empty the leaves promptly and rinse.
Score breakdown — 80/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | No enamel inside and usable on gas, flame and induction: one point; no hand work stated |
| Value for money | ★★★★☆ | ¥10,500 at the cheapest — between ¥7,000 and ¥12,000 |
| Easy to live with | ★★★☆☆ | Gas, flame and induction all stated, but a bare iron interior needing rust care |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4.44 across 600 reviews on Rakuten, Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | The only piece here the maker describes as both kettle and teapot — boil on induction, then add the strainer and brew |
220 g, and there is a left-handed version
Azmaya Flat Kyusu, side handle, udei
- Azmaya is a housewares brand; the pot is commissioned from the kiln
- Handle at the side rather than over the top, the classic Japanese arrangement
- At 300 ml, light enough to pour one-handed
Why it made the five
-
Made by the Takasuke kiln in Tokoname, flat with a side handle
-
220 g — the lightest piece in this guide
-
Right- and left-handed versions, in black or red clay
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A fine ceramic strainer, no metal
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Right for: A light, small Tokoname teapot for yourself or as a present.
-
Not for: Brewing for three or four people at once.
-
Worth knowing: No flame, microwave or dishwasher. The strainer is delicate — wash it with a soft brush. Being handmade, size, capacity and weight vary slightly. It is breakable.
Score breakdown — 77/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | A ceramic strainer with no metal: one point; no hand work stated by the maker |
| Value for money | ★★★★☆ | ¥7,700 on Rakuten — between ¥7,000 and ¥12,000 |
| Easy to live with | ★★★★☆ | 220 g earns a point; no dishwasher, and we could not confirm whether the strainer is integral |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.64 across 78 reviews on Rakuten, Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | The only piece here made in a left-handed version, and the lightest of the eight at 220 g |
Induction at both 100V and 200V, stated — with a base built for it
Oigen Tetsubin ‘Shinonome Kikko’, 1 litre
- From a foundry with more than 170 years behind it
- Kikko-arare is a tortoiseshell lattice considered auspicious; a litre is the middle size
- The handle folds down for filling and storing
Why it made the five
-
The auspicious kikko-arare pattern, 1 litre
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Gas, electric and induction at 100V and 200V, all stated
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A flattened body that pours with a small tilt
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A base built not to warp on induction
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Right for: An induction kitchen, and wanting tea made with water boiled in iron.
-
Not for: Caring about weight — it is 2.1 kg.
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Worth knowing: Boiling with the lid on can make it spit from the spout; leave the lid ajar or off. The body gets very hot. Care instructions are in Japanese.
Score breakdown — 66/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | An unglazed interior usable on gas, flame and induction: one point; no hand work stated on the product page |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | ¥14,378 at the cheapest — between ¥12,000 and ¥20,000 |
| Easy to live with | ★★☆☆☆ | 2.1 kg and a bare iron interior both count against it; gas and induction at both voltages count for it |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.81 across 163 reviews on Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | The only kettle here that states 100V and 200V induction separately, with a base designed for it |
The classic Nambu pattern, 0.9 litres, gas or induction
Iwachu Tetsubin, type 7 Arare, induction-ready
- Iwachu was founded in 1902
- The arare hail pattern is Nambu ironware’s signature
- Black-baked outside, kama-yaki rather than enamelled inside
- Right size for two or three cups’ worth of water
Why it made the five
-
The traditional arare pattern, 0.9 litres
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Kama-yaki interior, no enamel; gas, flame and induction
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A folding handle for pouring and storing
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English product pages and English care instructions
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Right for: A first iron kettle, chosen on the classic shape and a long review record.
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Not for: Caring about weight, or wanting less upkeep.
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Worth knowing: Empty it and let the residual heat dry it or it will rust. Do not scrub away the white scale that builds up inside — that is the good part. About 1.8 kg.
Score breakdown — 65/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | A kama-yaki interior usable on gas, flame and induction: one point; no hand work or craftsman’s mark stated |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | ¥17,200 at the cheapest — between ¥12,000 and ¥20,000 |
| Easy to live with | ★★☆☆☆ | About 1.8 kg and a bare iron interior count against it; gas, flame and induction count for it |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4.76 across 612 reviews on Rakuten, Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | The classic arare kettle with a folding handle, though nothing here is unique to this one piece |
Know before you buy
- A tetsubin is for boiling water over a flame; an iron kyusu is for brewing and is enamelled inside, so it must never go on heat. One piece here does both.
- Iron is heavy. The kettles weigh 1.3–2.1 kg, which is a serious share of a luggage allowance; the ceramic teapots are 220–450 g.
- Induction is not a given. Check whether the maker states 100V and 200V — Japanese kitchens use both, and so do hobs abroad.
- A bare iron interior rusts if you leave water in it: you empty it the moment you finish and let the residual heat dry it. That is the whole maintenance regime, and it is not optional.
- Ceramic strainers — holes in the pot itself, or a fired mesh — avoid the metallic taste that a stainless basket can leave.
- One maker publishes its care instructions in English. For the others, assume Japanese only, which matters if the pot is a present.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: 110
- Met every condition below: 12
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- A capacity of 300 ml to 1.3 litres — enough for one to four people
- The region and the maker are published
- For ironware, the maker states whether it can be used on gas and induction, or says plainly that it cannot be heated
- The piece itself can be bought on Rakuten Ichiba
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality30 pts
- Starts at three stars. Add one if the maker states hand work — a master craftsman’s mark, one-by-one making, strainer holes opened by hand. Add one if a kettle has no enamel inside, so it can actually boil water, or if a teapot’s strainer is ceramic rather than metal.
- Value for money15 pts
- The cheapest price on Rakuten Ichiba. Under ¥7,000 is five stars, under ¥12,000 four, under ¥20,000 three, under ¥40,000 two, above that one.
- Easy to live with20 pts
- Starts at three stars. Add one if the published weight is 500 g or less, subtract one at 1.8 kg or more. Add one if the maker allows a dishwasher. Subtract one for a bare iron interior needing rust care. Add one if a kettle works on both gas and induction, or if a teapot’s strainer is part of the body with nothing to remove.
- Trust15 pts
- Review counts and averages on the product’s Rakuten page, colours combined, cross-checked against Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping.
- Only here20 pts
- Starts at three stars. Add one or two where something is true of this piece and none of the other seven, and where it bears on making tea at home or on choosing it as a present.
What we dropped
| Candidate | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 63 × JINSUI Tokoname upright kyusu | Runner-up (77/100) | The score is high enough, but its character overlaps with the five |
| Iwachu Fukumaru iron kettle, IH-compatible | Runner-up (71/100) | The score is high enough, but its character overlaps with the five |
| Oigen Maromi Arare kyusu, 0.65 L | Runner-up (64/100) | 64 points, below the lowest of the five (65) |
| Iwachu Kyusu type 5 Arare, black (12302) | Runner-up | 650 ml, about 1.4 kg, enamelled inside with a strainer — it qualifies, but the Rakuten product page had no reviews, and as an enamelled iron teapot it duplicates the Oigen Maromi Arare. |
| Iwachu Tetsubin type 9 Hiramaru Arare (11701) | Runner-up | 1.1 litres at about 1.5 kg, but gas and flame only — no induction — and it duplicates the type 7 we chose. |
| Iwachu Tetsubin Kettle Baum, induction-ready | Runner-up | 1.1 litres and induction-ready, but ¥27,120 at the cheapest with two reviews. |
| Oigen Tetsubin Maromi Arare 1 L (H-171) | Runner-up | 1.0 litre at 1.9 kg, but not induction-compatible at either voltage. ¥15,800 with 17 reviews. |
| Oigen Tetsubin WAKKAS 750 | Outside the theme | 750 ml, 1.9 kg and induction-ready, but we could find no listing for the kettle itself on Rakuten Ichiba. |
| Fujisou Shiko Kyusu, small | Outside the theme | About 280 cc, under our 300 ml minimum. |
| Nankei Seitoen Kyusu ‘Anzu’ 320 cc | Held back | A Banko teapot available on Rakuten, but the maker’s site gave no specification for the 320 version. |
| Arita and Imari teapots on Rakuten | Held back | Most listings gave no kiln name or model number, so the maker could not be verified. |
| Kamasada (Morioka) kettles and teapots | Held back | We could not find a published list of capacities, weights and heat sources on the maker’s own site, so it is not in our candidate count. |
Questions visitors ask
What is the difference between a tetsubin and an iron kyusu?
A tetsubin boils water over heat; its interior is bare iron, kama-yaki or unglazed. An iron kyusu brews tea and is enamelled inside, so it must never go on a hob — Oigen and Iwachu both say so outright on their teapots. The Iwachu tetsubin-kyusu here is the exception: no enamel, so it boils, and with the strainer in, it brews.
How heavy are these, and what does that mean for my luggage?
The iron pieces are 1.3 kg for the Iwachu tetsubin-kyusu and the Oigen iron teapot, about 1.8 kg for the Iwachu type 7 kettle and 2.1 kg for the Oigen kettle. The ceramic teapots are 220 g for the Azmaya and about 450 g for the Fujisou. Leave room in the weight allowance, and carry iron in its original box, packed in clothes — iron does not shatter, but it chips.
Will they work on my hob at home?
They are not electrical, so voltage is irrelevant. Induction depends on the base: Iwachu states gas, flame and induction for the type 7, the tetsubin-kyusu and the Fukumaru; Oigen states induction at both 100V and 200V, gas and electric rings. Since these are Japanese ratings, check your own hob’s manual about small pans. Ceramic teapots cannot be heated at all.
Are the care instructions available in English?
Iwachu’s English site has care pages for both kettles and teapots: empty it immediately, let the residual heat dry it, and leave the white scale inside alone. Oigen’s care instructions, as far as we could find, are in Japanese only — worth knowing if you are giving one to someone who does not read Japanese.
How do I deal with rust, and with tea stains?
For a kettle, pour out every drop when you finish and let it dry on its own heat. Do not scour the inside, and keep the white scale. Iwachu suggests simmering green tea in it for about thirty minutes if rust is clouding the water. For ceramic teapots, empty the leaves promptly and rinse; wash a fine ceramic strainer with a soft brush.
Which should I buy as a gift?
If they will actually use it every day and have an induction hob, the Oigen or Iwachu kettle. If they want to make tea rather than boil water, the Fujisou — handmade, dishwasher-safe and the cheapest here. If weight is the problem, the Azmaya at 220 g, and remember it comes in a left-handed version.
Changes
- 2026-10-25 First published. Scored from 110 candidates.