[Stoves] Shichirin Stove

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Small Stove Lovers

 

I receive a message from Shunichi Samejima  at the Asahi Glass Foundation
that includes a picture of a Shichi-Rin which is a small stove made from a
very interesting material that may appeal to makers of insulated brickwork.

 

You can read about them at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shichirin where it
says:

 

"The shichirin is a light-weight, compact, and easy-to-move cooking stove.
It has had prototypes since ancient times, and it is said that shichirin
roughly the same as today's were made in the Edo period
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period> . Old shichirin are mainly ceramic
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic>  and many can be found in old houses.
Most modern shichirin are made by heating diatomaceous earth
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth> , but the raw materials
are not uniform. There are also shichirin such as those made with a double
inside and outside ceramic structure (these are called Mikawa konro). The
shape is mainly cylindrical, square, or rectangular, and the size also
varies. Many varieties of shichirin are made for different uses. In the
Kansai <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansai_region>  region, they are also
known as "kanteki"."

 

Shunichi Samejima wrote:

 

"Separate from glass, traditionally in Japan a stove called "SHICHI-RIN" has
been used for cooking. In the old days they were made from clay and recently
from diatomite. Attached is a photograph of a stove currently sold in Japan.
If this is something you are thinking of, then I think the material should
be something more porous like diatomite rather than glass which is solid."

 

That fact that it is porous and apparently durable is very interesting.

 

When it says 'heating', to what temperature?  Is it a temperature that could
be achieved in a wood fired kiln?

 

Thanks

Crispin