Brewery columns say a vessel's shape affects how you perceive aroma, and its material affects temperature and mouthfeel. Here is how the tokkuri, ochoko, guinomi, katakuchi, sakazuki, masu and wine glass differ, drawn from brewery columns and other public sources.
Sake vessels fall into two groups: those that hold the sake for pouring (tokkuri, katakuchi) and those you drink from directly (ochoko, guinomi, sakazuki, masu, glasses). Sawanotsuru's Sake Mizuki column says that in an ochoko poured from a tokkuri you can enjoy the color, clarity and aroma.
The same sake is said to feel different in a different vessel. Sawanotsuru says the color, the way aroma rises and the overall impression change greatly. These are views and rules of thumb from each company's column, not fixed rules.
Three things to look at
Mouth width (aroma), size (how well temperature holds) and material (mouthfeel and heat transfer). Below, each point is organized as the brewery columns explain it.
There are seven main vessels. The table lists their shape and the way of drinking they suit, by source.
| Vessel | Reading | Features | Suited to (source) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokkuri | tokkuri | Narrow neck, bulging body; typically 1 go (180 ml) to 2 go (360 ml) | Small for chilled sake; larger for slowly sipping warmed sake (Asahi Shuzo) |
| Ochoko | ochoko | Sized to hold about one mouthful; round, square, hexagonal and other shapes | Freshly poured sake; sipping warmed sake little by little (Asahi Shuzo) |
| Guinomi | guinomi | Deeper than an ochoko, with a slightly wider mouth | Lukewarm warmed sake or room temperature (Asahi Shuzo) |
| Katakuchi | katakuchi | No neck; a spout on one side | Easy to use for chilled sake; unsuited to warmed sake (Asahi Shuzo) |
| Sakazuki | sakazuki | Shaped like a small flat dish with no depth | Shinto and ceremonial occasions such as otoso and san-san-kudo (Sawanotsuru) |
| Masu | masu | Originally a tool for measuring rice and sake; made of wood | Poured into directly, or with a glass set inside (Sawanotsuru) |
| Wine glass | - | A shape that lets aroma rise; the base is visible, so color and viscosity can be judged | Sake whose aroma you want to enjoy, such as ginjo (Sawanotsuru, Asahi Shuzo) |
For warming sake, Sawanotsuru also introduces the chirori, a vessel for heating sake in a hot-water bath. It comes in metals that conduct heat well, such as tin, silver and brass, and some can warm 2 go of sake.
Tokkuri. According to Asahi Shuzo, tokkuri were used to store and carry sake and soy sauce from around the late Muromachi period, and the name seems to have been used from the Edo period. Today it is used to pour sake into small cups, and for chilled sake there are versions with an "ice pocket."
Ochoko. Asahi Shuzo's column says there is no clear definition; the term covers vessels sized to hold about one mouthful. Tasting ochoko (kikichoko) range from 32 ml (2 shaku) to 180 ml (1 go), and 54 ml (3 shaku) and 90 ml (5 shaku) are popular.
Guinomi. Sawanotsuru says it holds enough to drink freely and is often used casually at home. Because it takes time to finish, it says you can enjoy changes in mouthfeel, aroma and umami as the sake rises from chilled to room temperature.
Katakuchi and sakazuki. A katakuchi has a spout on one side and, like a tokkuri, is a vessel for holding sake. A sakazuki is shaped like a small, shallow flat dish; Sawanotsuru says it is also used at Shinto occasions such as otoso and san-san-kudo, and Asahi Shuzo says it comes in lacquer, ceramics, metals such as gold, silver and tin, glass and more.
A wide mouth is said to make aroma easier to notice, and a narrow one suits drinking it crisply. Sawanotsuru says that pouring sake into a wide-mouthed vessel lets you notice the softly spreading aroma more, and that a tall vessel flaring like a trumpet spreads aroma easily and adds to the sake's refreshing character.
For choosing the sake temperature itself, see the Serving Temperature guide, and for food matches, the Food Pairing guide.
Material is said to affect mouthfeel and how heat is transferred. The table gathers what the brewery columns say for each material.
| Material | What the columns say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pottery | Gives a soft mouthfeel without edges and brings out sweetness; thick, so suited to full-bodied or warmed sake | Asahi Shuzo, Sawanotsuru |
| Porcelain | Hard, fine-textured; can be made thinner and lighter than pottery, so it also has glass-like qualities | Asahi Shuzo |
| Glass | Has no taste or smell of its own, so the sake's taste comes through directly; thin for daiginjo, thick for nigori | Asahi Shuzo, Sawanotsuru |
| Tin | High thermal conductivity, so the whole vessel chills when chilled sake is poured; said to remove harsh notes and mellow the mouthfeel | Asahi Shuzo, Sawanotsuru |
| Lacquer | The handle does not get too hot with warmed sake, and it is slow to cool | Asahi Shuzo |
| Wood | Its main appeal is the scent of the wood itself; said to soften off-odors in the sake | Asahi Shuzo |
On tin, the Osaka Prefecture official page says that books from the early Edo period record tin ware being made and sold in Osaka, and that sake vessels and tea utensils are still made today as a traditional craft. In making Osaka Naniwa tinware, tin is alloyed to contain 97 percent or more tin. Asahi Shuzo also advises against keeping tin in a refrigerator or freezer, because tin at low temperatures may change in quality.
The masu is a wooden vessel that began as a tool for measuring rice and sake. The Ogaki City (Gifu Prefecture) official page for children says this, and adds that most masu are made of hinoki cypress. According to another Ogaki City official page, the city has five makers of wooden masu, and those five account for 80 percent of national production.
As a sake vessel, Sawanotsuru introduces two ways to use a masu: pouring sake in directly, or placing a glass inside. It is considered auspicious and is often used at parties, ceremonies and kagami-biraki, and there is also a way of drinking with salt placed on a corner and licked as you sip.
Asahi Shuzo says the original way to drink masu sake is to put your mouth to a straight side, not a corner, that wooden vessels offer the appeal of wood scent, and that you can also enjoy the "mokkiri" style, with a glass set inside the masu and sake poured to overflowing.
The wine glass has spread as a way to enjoy sake's aroma and appearance. The official site of the Wine Glass Sake Award (The Fine SAKE Award, Japan) says that simply moving sake from an ochoko to a glass lets you feel a difference in taste, and that the biggest discovery was "aroma" and the "pleasure of seeing."
The same site says the glass's shape lets you pick up delicate aromas that traditional vessels make hard to catch, and because you can see the base, you can judge color and viscosity. The award began in 2011, is run by the award's executive committee and is supported by the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Asahi Shuzo says wine glasses are made to bring out aroma, so sake smells more fragrant, and the closer the sides are to straight, the more direct and distinct the aroma becomes. Sawanotsuru says a small ochoko or a small wine glass lets you enjoy sake with little change in temperature.
Q. What is the difference between an ochoko and a guinomi?
A. According to Sawanotsuru, a guinomi is deeper than an ochoko and has a slightly wider mouth. Asahi Shuzo says there is no clear dividing line in size between the two.
Q. How is a tokkuri different from a katakuchi?
A. Sawanotsuru describes a tokkuri as tall with a narrowed neck, and a katakuchi as having no neck and a spout on one side. Asahi Shuzo says a katakuchi has a wide mouth and no lid, so heat escapes easily; it is unsuited to warmed sake but easy to use for chilled sake.
Q. What changes when you drink sake from a wine glass?
A. The official site of the Wine Glass Sake Award says the shape of the glass lets you pick up delicate aromas that are hard to catch in traditional vessels, and lets you see color and viscosity. Asahi Shuzo also says wine glasses are made to bring out aroma, so sake smells more fragrant.
Q. How should I choose vessel size for chilled and warmed sake?
A. Sawanotsuru and Asahi Shuzo say chilled sake suits a small vessel that is finished before it warms up, while for warmed sake a larger vessel is fine if you want to enjoy the change as it cools. For drinking it hot, Sawanotsuru suggests a smaller tokkuri.
Q. Is there an etiquette for drinking sake from a masu?
A. Asahi Shuzo says the original way to drink masu sake is to put your mouth to a straight side rather than a corner. Sawanotsuru introduces two ways to drink from a masu: pouring sake directly into it, or placing a glass inside it.
Q. Does a tin sake vessel change the taste of sake?
A. Asahi Shuzo and Sawanotsuru both say tin vessels are said to remove harsh notes and make the mouthfeel mellower. Both use the language of hearsay, and impressions vary from person to person.
Sources: Sawanotsuru Sake Mizuki, "Does sake taste different by vessel?"; Sawanotsuru Sake Mizuki, "Types of sake vessels: guinomi, katakuchi and more"; Asahi Shuzo KUBOTAYA, "Enjoying sake with a tokkuri"; Asahi Shuzo KUBOTAYA, "What is an ochoko? Materials and taste"; Asahi Shuzo KUBOTAYA, "Sake vessels and how they differ"; Asahi Shuzo KUBOTAYA, "Tin sake vessels"; Asahi Shuzo KUBOTAYA, "Types and choice of glasses"; Wine Glass Sake Award official site; Osaka Prefecture, Osaka Naniwa tinware and Naniwa tinware; Ogaki City, "Made in Ogaki"; Ogaki City, local specialties (kids' page)