MORIOKA, Japan — A social media post by Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani has thrown Japan’s traditional Nambu ironware under the international spotlight, catching the attention of a whole new potential customer base for everything from finely crafted kettles to heavy-duty cooking pots.
The sporting sensation in May posted a picture of a blue, cast-iron kettle on Instagram, accompanied only by the words “Thank you.” The move effectively pitched Nambu ironware — which comes from Ohtani’s home prefecture of Iwate in northeastern Japan — to his legions of followers in that country, the U.S. and beyond.
