Antique Japanese Sake Bottle

Early 20C traditional Japanese Bimbo-tokkuri, literally translated as “poor man’s bottles”. Sake used to be sold by weight and people who could not afford whole barrels brought in their own refill bottles or rent bottles from sake shops with their name or address written on it, to sake shops, to buy as much sake as they needed.

Materials
Hand-thrown stoneware covered in a thick milky-white to light grey glaze. Fine iron speckling remains visible through the glaze, together with a dense network of natural crackling (kannyu) around the neck, shoulders and body. The wide, low base has a slightly raised and roughened outer rim, giving the vessel a stable footprint.

APPROX. Dimensions

HEIGHT: 25CM
DIAMETER AT WIDEST POINT: 16CM
OPENING DIAMETER: 1.5.CM

Condition & Antique Character
As an antique ceramic, this piece has lived a previous life and shows signs of age, use and traditional firing. The glaze has natural variation, fine crackling and surface irregularities consistent with an older utilitarian vessel. The merchant name and kayoi marking remain clearly legible. 
Please note that colours may appear slightly different in person from those shown in the photographs, depending on lighting and screen settings. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form part of the description.