As the predecessor to modern-day growlers, the purpose of these bottles were just as straightforward. They were made for Sake, or 'rice wine': filled, sealed, carried, stored, and reused as necessary in a residential setting in Japan. Heavily potted, these bottled were covered in white glaze and brushed on with black Kanji characters to show the brand names of sake or the wine houses. Traditionally, heated sake is often warmed by placing the sake-filled tokkuri in a pan of hot water, and thus the narrowed neck would prevent the heat from escaping.
Beautiful Japanese stoneware sake bottles circa first half of 20th century. This Japanese ceramic sake bottle with hand-painted characters would make a handsome addition to your pottery collection or interior decor,