Mushi Nabe – Donabe Steamer Pot – Classic style – black – medium
“Wabi-sabi aesthetic acknowledges and appreciates the natural imperfections inherent in our universe. It serves as proof that each piece has its own character, its own story, and its own place in the world. Just as no two people are the same – no two donabe, cups, plates, or bowls will be identical.”
The Art Of Imperfection – Iga-yaki ceramics are truly one-of-a kind works of art. The pottery is one of Japan’s most highly-regarded traditional ceramics. The Iga region, where the clay is sourced, was once the bed of Lake Biwa about 4 million years ago. Nagatani-en, the family owned producer where we source our beautiful ceramics, has been making authentic Iga-yaki pottery since 1832. Each piece is hand-crafted by skilled craftsmen and as a result, the shape, color, and patterns are slightly different from one another. These nuances are what we love most because it’s what sets our products apart from those made by a machine. This is the beauty of Iga-yaki’s wabi sabi and it has been appreciated by Japanese people for centuries. Each piece produced by Nagatani-en goes through multiple strict quality checks at the property before it is released to the market, so that quality is assured. Once the products arrive in our shop from Iga, Japan, we inspect each piece at our Los Angeles store before we put it on our shelves to sell. We take immense pride to passionately deliver the highest caliber of Japanese products and goods to our customers. As such, we would like you, our customers, to hold the same appreciation for these products and invest in taking care of them. We hope you enjoy not only the products, but the attention to detail, and love in each one of our items.
What is donabe?
Donabe (doh-NAH-bay) is Japanese traditional earth cookware. The Kanji characters that make up the word mean, “clay pot”: do is “clay” or “earth”, and nabe is “pot”. Donabe ware is versatile, and you can use it for a hot pot, soup, or stew; for steaming fish or vegetables, making rice, or even grilling! Donabe cookware shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions; it’s designed for everyday cooking.
Ichigo-ichie
One time, one meeting. This is the Japanese philosophy of ichigo-ichie. We approach each interaction with true sincerity and treasure it as if it were the last. As a pottery producer, Nagatani-en makes donabe with special attention to the uniqueness that’s inherent in each and every piece because this phenomena can only occur once-in-a-lifetime. These rare experiences can never be replicated and that’s the beauty of it.
Ame-Yu, Historic Glaze
The name Ame-Yu refers to a kind of glaze and has a shiny deep amber color. It’s also one of the most historic types of glaze in Japan and gives beautiful texture to pottery. Ame-Yu donabe has been a long seller among Nagatani-en’s donabe collection.
Your Donabe Develops its Character as it Ages
As you use your donabe over and over, it will develop character. Its color and texture could change slightly over time. These are all the welcoming characteristics of Iga-yaki’s historic wabi-sabi beauty and would make your donabe more personal and special.
The very thin cracks could appear on the surface (glaze) of the donabe. It’s called “kannyu” in Japanese and the cracks run like veins. They are the naturally developed cracks on the glaze and won’t affect the function of the donabe.
Once you start using the donabe, the bottom part starts to change its color and black spots (like burned spots) could appear. It’s also the part of developing character and the donabe is safe to use. However, if the bottom part seems to get too black too quickly, the heat you use might be too high. In this case, we suggest that you use the donabe over lower heat level.
Find some great recipe inspirations here: https://toirokitchen.com/blogs/recipes