This cast-iron teapot was made in Morioka, Japan, by the family company Iwachu. If you love tea, this beautiful and practical object will win you over. It is made in accordance with Japan's very strict food-safety controls, so you can use it with complete confidence (see the Public Health Certificate). It is quite certainly one of the finest teapots on the market. A decoration inspired by nature The upper part of this teapot is decorated with ginkgo leaves, a symbol of hope, renewal and longevity in Japan. Called a living fossil by Darwin, it is one of the oldest trees in the world. Incredible as it may seem, some ginkgo trees survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Each Iwachu teapot is made through an artisanal process of more than 60 steps, including: - The inner and outer moulds are made by hand. - Molten iron is poured into the mould. - Once cool, the mould is broken to release the teapot. - All the edges are filed. - The inside is enamelled. - The outer surface is painted. - Once the paint is dry, the teapot is carefully packed. Iwachu has been making cast-iron objects for more than 100 years. When you buy your teapot, check that it bears the Made in Japan logo underneath: it is your guarantee of quality. Green tea: did you know? More than 1,200 years ago, the priest Saichō brought the first tea plant to Japan. In 1191, Kissa Yōjōki recorded: “Tea is a miraculous remedy for staying in good health. Today as in the past, tea is the elixir that guides all who climb the mountain of immortality.” At first a drink reserved for the nobility, during the Edo period (1603–1868) the tea ceremony and everything that accompanies it, such as cast-iron teapots, became popular throughout Japan. Today, green tea is an integral part of the soul of the Land of the Rising Sun; the Japanese enjoy it at any hour.