Crane's-neck kettle depicting pines along a seashore

Most Japanese vessels for boiling water for tea do not have an elongated neck as this vessel does. Here the artist has lengthened and narrowed the neck to keep the hot water from cooling during winter. A low-relief pattern of pines along a seashore is delicately cast into the body, adding a subtle decorative quality to the rustic surface. The kettle has a bronze lid and two "ears" for holding ring handles.

In 1996 the Japanese government named Takahashi Keiten a Living National Treasure, or more precisely, a "Holder of Intangible Cultural Properties." In accordance with the Cultural Properties Protection Law of 1950 the government periodically designates as Living National Treasures the most accomplished artisans in various mediums. Such designation is part of the government's attempt to protect traditional craft techniques and artisanship, which might otherwise soon disappear. The artisans so designated are encouraged to transmit their skills to prospective successors.