> A while ago I received an old tetsubin from a dear friend of mine. She
> got that little pot from her mother, who got it from an uncle who
> picked it up somewhere in Japan in the late 19th century. There´s
> nothing too special about this little pot, no stampings, markings,
> inscriptions or anything of that kind, but at least it shows no signs
> of rust. Right now it´s placed on display among my collection of antique
> teawares but I´m wondering if anyone on this esteemed group is using
> an unglazed tetsubin on a regular basis ???
> Karsten [2005 autumnal Castleton in der Tasse]

A Japanese iron kettle is meant to boil water, is it not?
The glazed interior, brew-tea-in-it sort is a rather new
development. One or two of our local stores carry
unglazed Japanese iron kettles, the assumption being
that they are used to boil water, not to brew. But then,
I could be wrong and often am....
Michael [Heavy Roasted Shui Xian Yummy Yum]