Tea Kettles: For Winners Only

One of the most vital pieces of a Japanese tea ceremony (challenge no. 17) is the kettle that heats the water for the tea, or a "tea kettle" for those of us in the know. When you think of a tea kettle, you probably think of something with a handle and a spout. However, for a tea ceremony of the traditional Japanese awesome style, I needed a kettle without these things, one with just a lid on the top.

My shopping options were quickly limited to eBay, where I learned that these things cost a small fortune. And if the kettle didn't cost a fortune, the shipping was half my monthly salary.

THEN I came across this beauty, with a low bid and just a few days left on the auction block, a shipping cost of only $17 to boot:

I sleepily won the auction (because I'm a winner) at 1:15 a.m. last night, quite happy with my purchase and knowing that I got a great deal.

Oh, and it will arrive in just a few short MONTHS.

Grumble.

I'll have to wait until September to do my ceremony, which at least gives me enough time to collect the rest of the essentials: A kimono, a brazier, a square silk cloth known as Fukusa, and all of my decorative items for the ceremony (aesthetics are a big part and change seasonally).

If anyone has a Japanese scroll or a kimono I can borrow, let me know. I will let you borrow something of mine in return. Not Dagmar.