Iwakiri Bikodo

Tin is characterized by its resistance to cracking, rust, water corrosion, mellowing of alcohol, and sealing properties. Among metals, tin does not crack because of its relatively soft characteristics.

Tin is a very special material; it does not rust in air or water. Because of its coarse molecular structure, tin has the ability to absorb impurities. As a result, water is purified, resistant to decay, and flowers last longer.

Tin is said to have high ionic and antibacterial effects and mellows out alcoholic beverages, and is still used in distillation tubes at shochu factories today.

Tea caddies and tea urns made of tin are hermetically sealed and are considered ideal for storing tea leaves and other items. 

Iwakiri Bikodo was founded in 1916 by Mr. Toichiro Iwakiri, who started manufacturing tin pipes (snake pipes).

Later, Toichiro thought that tinware had more potential than pipes, so he apprenticed his son, Toroku, to a long-established tinware manufacturer in Kagoshima, opening the door to the world of tinware. The Iwakiri Bikodo tinware that began in this way has been used for many years because of its non-toxicity and unique warmth, and the manufacturing process has been passed down from generation to generation.

They believe that preserving tradition means "bringing in new winds and new blood, refining and developing the techniques backed by tradition.

At Iwakiri Bikodo, about five young craftsmen have joined the tinware production team, bringing a modern sensibility to traditional techniques and breathing new life into their work. 

In 1656, a tin mine was excavated in Taniyama by Yagi Mondosuke Motonobu, which greatly benefited the Satsuma clan.

Tinware was used by samurai and merchants as a luxury item in the townspeople's culture, and became widespread in Kagoshima until every house had some type of tinware, becoming a traditional culture rooted in regional characteristics.

In 1916, our founder, Toichiro Iwakiri, who worked on tin pipes for cooling distillation at a shochu distillery in Kokubu, opened the door to the world of tinware by taking his son Toroku as his apprentice. After the war, Toroku returned to Kokubu and opened a workshop, establishing tinware as a craft. 

Tinware production has been passed down to his children and grandchildren in Kokubu, and the company has become a manufacturer that carries on the tradition of Satsuma tinware as well as tinware technology in Japan.