Posted 5 years ago
kwqd
(1193 items)
These little clear glass ochoko for cold sake each came in their own box with a small bit of documentation. I think that this is the first time that I had seen clear glass ochoko which were not kiriko or satsuma glass. I am guessing they were created in the 1980s or 1990s before Toyo and Sasaki merged in 2002. Kind of odd little pieces and very inexpensive. Since, I found these, I have found numerous examples of clear glass ochoko. I also found a box set of two ochoko by Sasaki that had an identical hexagonal ochoko and a similar round one in smooth red glass. At first, I thought these were yunomi for tea, but found the box set on a Japanese auction site where they were correctly identified as ochoko.
Thanks for taking a look at my Sasaki cups truthordare, AnythingObscure, Watchsearcher, Thomas, Hoot60, Kevin and fortapache!
Thanks aura and Manikin.
Thank you Cokeman1959 and RichmondLori!
Thank you PhilDMorris!
Thanks for taking a look at my Sasaki yunomi glassiegirl and Jenni!
Sweet pieces Kevin.
After tea , sake seems to be a favourite subject for Japanese glassware. I dare say Sasaki had a sake decanter made in this decor but it might be hard to find.
They are lovely.
Thanks Karen! I did eventually find an image of the decanter....
What beautiful pieces!
Thanks for your comment rhineisfine! The finish on these is like silk. The quality of the workmanship is stunning. I was really surprised.
The Japanese are soooo serious about making beautiful drinking vessels, for sake and everything else for that matter. It sounds like you've tumbled down a very seductive rabbit hole (I'm already down here, here's lots of room!).
As I'm sure you know, the Japanese aesthetic likes to use a lot of clear glass and crystal items in the summertime, to give a cool impression (visual echoes of ice and water). You can even find clear (modern) glass tea bowls for tea ceremony, used exclusively during the summer months. They are just delightful.
By the way, do you know Robert Yellin's website eYakimono (http://e-yakimono.net/)? It is a wonderful resource for learning about Japanese pottery, if you haven't already seen it. He includes a section on sake vessels - albeit mostly pottery ones, he has some interesting things to say (http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/sake-shapes-guide.html). It was thanks to him that I discovered that one of my own ochoko "delivers" different tastes from the same sake depending on whether I drank from a thicker vs. thinner edge of the cup's lip.
Thanks for your comment and for sharing what looks like a very good link! I had never seen a clear glass tea bowl or cup before I started researching these small cups. I have been looking at this link a lot:
http://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.com/
I am still waiting for my Japanese pottery books to arrive. My focus in the past year or so has been Japanese art glass.. Interest in any type of pottery is new to me... I tend to have interest in many topics but don't delve deeply into many..
I was soldier, martial artist and have had several hobbies which have lead to my nose being broken several times, skull fractures and head trauma and at some point lost my sense of smell and most of my sense of taste, so the fine points of wine, tea, food, etc., escape me. I have only sweet, sour, salty and bitter, colors and textures to work with, so very limited in my appreciation of food and beverages.
I was stationed in Japan a long time ago and got to experience Japanese culture but did not devote as much time to doing so as I could have, which I now regret.
Thanks for checking out my sake cups Radegunder and Cokeman1959!
Thanks for looking at my Sasaki cups Vynil33rpm!