Tokkuri Sake Set

The tokkuri is named after the sound produced when sake is poured from the jug ("tok tok tok", the English equivalent of "glug glug glug"). These ceramic jugs were first popularized in the early 1600's. And they remained in use until the 1940's when they were largely replaced by glass bottles, plastic bottles and now paper cartons.
 
The jugs come from a time when sake stores sold their sake by Hakariuri (measured sales). A typical store would have several barrels of different brands of sake lined up on shelves and the the store clerk would pour a customer's desired amount into a tokkuri . The general idea was that the customer was only paying for the sake itself and not the jug. And so these tokkuri were then loaned out to the customer to take home and return at a later date. As such they became known as "Kayoi Tokkuri" - commuter tokkuri. Typically written on the tokkuri was the brand of sake and the name and trademark of the sake shop distributing the sake as well as the volume of the vessel. The calligraphy used is beautiful but rough. It is written in the style of regular day to day cursive hand writing of the early modern era.
 
This particular tokkuri has "sake" written on both the bottle and cups.  
 
Condition: Vintage with charming signs of minor wear.