The Japanese heating tool "YUTAMPO"

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 Half of February has already passed. Spring will soon be here in Japan, but February is a very cold month just before that. The Japanese name for February also reflects this.

Today, I would like to talk about the "yutampo", a heating tool that has been used in Japan since ancient times and is still popular today.

 

If you do a Japanese-language image search for "yutampo", you will see many images like this.
As you can see, it is a small-sized heating appliance that is mainly used at bedtime.
The main body of the yutampo is made of heat-resistant material, and you put hot water in it and cover it with a cover to use it. The cover is made of cute plush material, which is a new style that has recently become popular.

The earliest yutampo were made of pottery. Later, metal was used, and
now heat-resistant plastic and vinyl are used.
In Japan, both the traditional metal hot water bottle and the latest yutampo made from new materials are sold.

It is said that yutampo was introduced to Japan from China during the Muromachi period (1336-1568).
The word "yutampo" originally meant "to hold and warm oneself in place of one's wife".

The oldest yutampo still in existence in Japan dates from the Edo period (1603-1868) and is
made of pottery from Mino in Gifu Prefecture.

Mino Yaki
https://yakimono.or.jp/2024/awasaka2024

The most famous yutampo in Japan is the dog-shaped yutampo used by Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, the fifth shogun of the Edo period.

This yutampo was made of bronze and plated, and was very expensive.
The dog's ears were the lid, and you would pour hot water into it to use.

(National Museum of Jpanese History)

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (Horyuji temple collection)

The features of yutampo are that it stays warm until the morning if you fill it with hot water at night, it doesn't dry out the air, and it gradually warms you up.
Nowadays, you can use them not only at bedtime, but also at the office or when you're working. There are also yutampo shaped like shoes, for your feet.


If you can boil water, you can use it in times of disaster or power outages, so it is also attracting attention as a disaster prevention tool.

(If you use a yutampo without a cover, there is a risk of scalding. Please use it with care.)

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