Kagetsu Donabe

We are proud to carry our donabes from Kagetsu, a family business making ceramics for over 160 years in Yokkaichi, Japan.

Kagetsu was the creator of the modern donabe clay formula, as household cooking in Japan was transitioning from traditional wood-fire to gas after World War 2 and donabes needed to adjust to its higher temperatures. The current CEO’s father and uncle identified petalite as a key ingredient that can increase the donabe’s heat tolerance, after finding clues in the heat-resistant tiles of NASA rockets.

Because our line of donabes use a higher percentage of petalite in its clay formula than other companies, it is resistant to cracking even so much that you can bring it from the fridge straight to direct flame.

The higher percentage of petalite also allows Kagetsu rice donabes to cook rice in a shorter period of time of just 10 minutes without any heat adjustments. Rice made in a Kagetsu donabe tastes much better than rice made in the most expensive electric rice cooker, with grain structure being kept intact, and a sweeter taste and better aroma.