JAPANESE BLUE CARAFE AND CUP 7 PIECE CERAMIC SAKE SET

A WONDERFUL BLUE CARAFE AND CUP CERAMIC SAKE SET. ONE CARAFFE WITH HANDLE AND 6 SMALL SHOT SIZE CUPS.
 
Drink and serve sake in traditional style with this 7 piece ceramic Japanese sake set with a blue glazed finish. The long neck of the carafe makes holding and pouring simple.
 
Perfect for leaving out as decoration or for using to entertain your guests in your home or in a restaurant setting, this 7 piece set includes a sake pot and six 2-oz (60ml) shot glasses.
 
Suitable for hot or cold sake, warm the bottle in hot water to keep serving your sake at the right temperature for hot, or simply fill with chilled rice wine to serve cold.
 
MARKINGS:
468a and an unknown double triangle engraved mark
 
SIZES
CARAFE 20,5CM HIGH 9,5CM WIDE UP TO HANDLE EDGE
6 x CUPS 4,3CM HIGH 4,3CM DIAMETER TOP RIM

CONDITION: ONE RIM CHIP TO ONE TUMBLER. ALL OTHER PIECES IN GOOD CONDITION.

SAKE:
In Japan where it is the national beverage, sake is served with each special ceremony. Before being served, it is warmed in a small earthenware or porcelain bottle called a tokkuri; it is usually sipped from a small porcelain cup called a sakazuki. Premium sake, of a delicate flavour, is served cold or on ice.
The manufacture of sake began sometime after the introduction of wet rice cultivation in Japan in the 3rd century BCE. The first written record referring to sake dates from the 3rd century CE, and the first reference to its manufacture dates from the 8th century. In ancient Japan sake was produced primarily by the imperial court and by large temples and shrines, but from the early 12th century the general population began to manufacture it.