Glasses and Cups

Japanese Cups – Drinking in the History

It's no secret that Japanese tea and sake ceremonies are a glimpse into one of the most ancient arts and traditions. With the advent of renewed interest in Asian art for home décor and innovations in high fashion, a new hobby has sprung up in the western world: the past-time of collecting Japanese military issue sake cups. Dating back over 100 years, military sake cups had been used in solemn ceremonies, wherein soldiers would wordlessly consume sake before going into battle. But this practice, in fact, dates back even further, as the Japanese military borrowed the act of ceremonial sake consumption before battle from the ancient Samurai, who started the tradition.

Much to collectors' delight, Japanese military sake cups are often marked with the original owners' regiment, name and other information pertaining to the soldier who originally sipped from it. And while these Japanese cups bear no time stamp in numbers, in extremely rare cases authentic Japanese sake cups will provide a point in time to mark its creation. An inscription such as “Conquering China” dates the cup to approximately 1894; “Siberia” to the Siberian Expedition of 1918-1922; and “Great East Asia War” reveals the cup was crafted after 1941. Other tips for Japanese cup collectors include noting whether or not the cup has been embossed or its pattern has been stamped on: both factors indicate that the cup was most likely mass-crafted. Also, a cup made from metal will date from 1894 to the 1920s, as during the '30s and '40s all metal was used for military purposes rather than luxury items.

You'll notice we've compiled a vast array of Japanese cups just in time for the increasingly popular hobby of military sake cup collecting. You may just find a rarity today to add to your collection, or to begin a lifetime fascination with Japanese cups.