Second Generation Qin Zangliu / First Generation Zangliu Beast Mouth Iron Kettle

Capacity: Approximately 1000 ml

Hata Zangroku was a master metalworker in Japan from the late Edo period to the Meiji era. He was world-renowned for his bronze ware creations and had in-depth research on bronze ware from the Zhou and Han dynasties of China. He was a highly acclaimed craftsman in the field of imitating bronze ware from the Zhou and Han dynasties of China. His representative work is a tripod-shaped vase. He died in 1890 at the age of 66.

The first generation of Qin Zanglu was the son of Qin Yuanping. Born in Yamashiro, his original name was Qin Mizang. In his youth, he studied casting under Annosuke at the renowned Ryubundo school. Later, he became highly skilled in metalworking, independently researched Chinese bronzes, and eventually opened his own business. Among the many techniques of metalworking, Qin Zanglu was most proficient in gold casting, and perfectly passed down the most difficult "wax casting" method. To this day, he is still revered as the foremost figure in metalworking.

Qin Zanglu was well-versed in history and poetry, and his works were exquisite in casting and carving, with every cut and engraving being extraordinary! As a representative of Japanese metalwork, Qin Zanglu personally created the bronze imperial seal of Emperor Komei during the Edo period, the gold seal of the fifteenth shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and the imperial seal used by the emperor in the sixth year of Meiji.

Using a groundbreaking wax-casting method, he successfully incorporated the totems of ancient Chinese bronzes into his iron kettles, the classic example being the animal-mouth kettle. Qin Zangliu's works exhibit prominent totemic characteristics of ancient Chinese bronzes, with many pieces featuring gold leaf inlay. The gold leaf, fading and peeling away with time, represents Zangliu's unique craftsmanship and has earned him high praise. Besides bronzeware and tea ceremony utensils, Qin Zangliu also created silverware, flower vases, the Four Treasures of the Study (brush, ink, paper, and inkstone), and incense utensils, all of which are highly regarded.

After the death of the first Qin Zangliu, his descendants inherited his family business and passed down the name "Zangliu" from generation to generation. The current Zangliu is his sixth-generation successor.