How to clean up and restore

Jess, I highly recommend Terry's thread here as a reference for going about restoring an old ceramic cooker.

It looks like its a genuine Japanese Kamado, which brand is the Million Dollar Question?

All the parts are there, the first thing I would do is to get a Lodge cast iron trivet or a BGE cast iron charcoal grate-the clay grates have a habit of easily clogging, impeding the airflow.

This is a Sakura Kamado with plug damper from Japan


Taiwanese BBQ Pot


Japanese Imperial Kamado Medium Modern style


Imperial Kamado Large Traditional style


Japanese Hibachi Pot Medium with plug damper


Medium Kamado by Noritake China of Japan with plug damper


Large Japanese Hibachi Pot with slide damper


Imperial Kamado Large Modern style (L) Vintage ceramic Large Big Green Egg (R)


You can go to the Naked Whiz site and download a copy of the Pachinko Palace Kamado Manual and cookbook-it looks like this one.


These are but a few that have passed through swamprb's yard, and just when you think you've seen them all - along comes another wonder.


If I was to guess- yours looks like the Large Hibachi Pot!

Follow the firing directions in the Manual (skip the kindling) but note the amount of briqs to use that matches the Kamado size. Don't overload/overheat it, clean the ashes frequently, keep it covered in the rainy season and it'll last a long time.

I went to check out a free Sakura tonight that looked decent in the craigslist pics, removed the bands to move, and the whole thing just collapsed! I walked away with spare parts! http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/zip/2477476974.html

purplestarrider said:

Swamprb thanks for the info i will check out the site. Is there a way that i can tell what i have some where on it? Or is it just a guessing game?

Click to expand...

Not to my knowledge, but take a look on the hinge & handles bands-some have JAPAN stamped into the steel. It is a Traditional style kamado.
They all work the same, but some of them have interior parts that don't line up or match and may have been motared into place.

The Imperial Kamado website expired and it was a wealth of information, the new owners had vowed to put it all onto their site, but the last time I checked it had not, it was the one site for years that had the most info and sadly its long gone-we're on our own! The Naked Whiz is the next best bet.

Good luck with it!

purplestarrider said:

Thanks so much. It does say made in Japan on on the metal band. that is to bad that the web site is down. I did check the Naked Whiz out last night but really tired when i did. I didn't see anything about cleaning out the inside. Is there anything you can tell me about trying to clean it out?

Click to expand...

Looking at your pics, it appears that the firebox is mortared into the base, so I would leave it in place and clear the vent holes and vacuum any ashes out. (Notice some of the fireboxes of my pics? thats another can of worms) Get yourself an ash tool form IK or BGE for future use. A wire brush will get the flaking off the interior of the dome, and a stiff putty knife/scraper and elbow grease will take care of the rest. The Pachinko Palace Manual goes into detail on a lot maintenance details.

Good luck on your restoration :thumb: