Cast Iron

Our town is made up of five wards.  One of them is known for it's beef.  One is known for it's cast iron.  Today and tomorrow is the annual cast iron festival.  The local casters get together and sell their stuff at a discount.  As usual, we forgot to take a camera.  We plan to go back tomorrow and take some pictures.

The range of cast iron products was impressive.  At the low end of the scale were bells and paper weights for about two or three dollars.  At the other end of the spectrum were kettles and hibachi for $2,000.  There were well over a hundred kettles that cost over one hundred dollars.  Fortunately there were also some very nice kettles and pans for around 30 to 60 dollars.  We couldn't decide, so when we go back tomorrow we'll pick a kettle.

Seeing all of the cast iron was a little bit like seeing the nebuta floats.  The artistry is very impressive.  If you google "Iwate cast iron" you will see some of the things we saw today.

This sort of thing is what traveling is all about.  Seeing culture through art and industry is humbling.  The hibachi I saw today were almost identical to the ones in the ancient samurai houses that we visited, made with the same techniques.  Maybe the lady I met today who invented a clever double pan with removable handles is the great granddaughter of the artisan who made the kettle hanging over the fireplace in the old samurai house.  People get old and die.  But we can pass on knowledge and beliefs and stories for as long as there are people willing to learn.  That's pretty cool.

I'm glad I know women teaching young women how to sew.  I'm glad I had to study old dusty books that have been read for thousands of years.  Next time you see a survey crew working on the highway, remember that engineers were designing roads before English ever came into being.

It's pretty neat. 

Are you bored?  Maybe next time I won't be all philosophical.  I'll just post pretty pictures.