Ikenaga Iron Works 池永鉄工

Who is Ikenaga Iron Works?

Ikenaga Iron Works began in 1937 as a one-person business started by Shizuo Ikenaga, making building jacks. The company's own history page tracks a steady widening of what it makes rather than one signature product: it incorporated formally in 1950 with Shizuo Ikenaga as president, launched ice-shaving machines under its Swan brand the same year, added general cast-iron cookware in 1953 and began manufacturing and selling Nambu ironware in 1970.

Where is Ikenaga based?

Its headquarters has stayed in Higashinari, Osaka, with a Tokyo sales office added later in Mitaka. The company's own history names three presidents after the founder: Hiroshi Ikenaga from 1980, Sadako Ikenaga from 1996 and Kazuo Ikenaga from 2008. This is worth being plain about: the company itself is not based in Iwate Prefecture, the historic home of Nambu ironware; its own history page does not say where its Nambu-tekki casting actually happens. What is certain is what is printed on our own shelf: every Ikenaga kettle, teapot and trivet we carry lists Iwate Prefecture, Japan as where it is made.

What is Nambu ironware?

Nambu ironware, 南部鉄器, is a cast-iron craft with roots in Morioka and Mizusawa, both in Iwate Prefecture, going back to 1659, when the domain lord engaged the kettle caster Koizumi Goroshichi, said to be from Kyoto, to cast tea kettles for his tea ceremony. Our cast-iron care guide goes further into the craft itself and into the difference between an enamel-lined piece and a raw, unlined tetsubin.

What do we carry from Ikenaga?

The Nambu ironware side covers several kettles, from the smaller Hoju kettle up to the larger Sakura kettle, plus a Pine and Crane teapot and a sakura-shaped trivet, every one of them enamel-lined rather than a raw tetsubin. Alongside that sits general cast-iron cookware: a grill pan, listed as made in Japan with no prefecture named, and a meat press, which its own listing places with the Nambu ironware from Iwate. Check individual listings for the current range, since what is on the shelf shifts as pieces sell through.

How do you look after it?

Wash Ikenaga cast iron by hand, never in the dishwasher, and never with detergent, a sponge or a scrubbing brush; wiping the iron with a cloth while it is still hot is what brings up its shine over time. Our cast-iron care guide has the full routine for both the enamel-lined pieces we carry and a raw tetsubin, if you already own one.