ABOUT OITOMI

It is said that the origin of "Ôshû-Mizusawa" Nambu ironware dates back to 950 years ago, when the founder(Fujiwara no Kiyohira {藤原 清衡, 1056 – 1128}) of Chûsonji Temple, which is registered as a World Heritage Site, invited casters from Ômi (present-day Shiga Prefecture) to make Buddhist altars. In 1959, the ironware of "Morioka" in the northern part of Iwate Prefecture and that of "Ôshû-Mizusawa" in the southern part of the prefecture was unified to create the brand "Nambu ironware", which has developed up until now.

Oitomi was founded in 1848 as Hoshodo in present-day Mizusawa-hada district, Ôshû City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan by our first generation named Oikawa Rigenta, who became the retained tea kettle craftsman of the Date clan sponsored by Date domein. The history of Oitomi, which began with the tea ceremony, has been handed down for more than 170 years.

The ironware products in Iwate Prefecture, with its two roots in Morioka and Ôshû, has been designated a traditional craft as Nambu Ironware, and we have been shareing the charm of the ironware that has been handed down from generation to generation in this region.

We are a group of artisans who promote sustainable manufacturing to preserve and take advantage of iron, which has been a major resource supporting human civilization from the birth of the earth to the present, for generations to come.