Japanese term for a square cup made of the wood of the Japanese mock cypress Hinoki or the sickle fir Sugi, which is used among other things as a drinking vessel for sake. It was originally used as a measuring cup for rice with a capacity of ichigô = 1 gô = 0.18039 litres. The traditional vessel is drunk from one of the corners. The traditional version is made of wood, also called kimasu (ki = wood). There are also modern versions, painted black and/or red, which are also made of plastic. Other traditional drinking vessels are called ochoko (cup) and sakazuki (drinking bowl). Various vessels such as chirori, katakuchi or tokkuri are used for serving or pouring.See also under wine vessels.
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Thomas Götz
Weinberater, Weinblogger und Journalist; Schwendi