1900s–1920s Japanese Sakebin, Celadon-Glazed Flask in Hemp Sling, Nanaga City

A traveling vessel that has already seen a century of thirsts. A sakebin of the type carried by farming households and village headmen, the shōya, through Japan's late Meiji and Taishō years (early 20th century). Glazed stoneware kept the rice wine cool and the hemp jacket kept the glass from breaking on rough roads; surviving examples with their original sling intact are increasingly scarce.

The body is glazed in a soft celadon-green, cinched into a hand-stitched hemp sling with a worn rope strap meant to be slung over the shoulder for the long walk home. A little enamel medallion sits at its breast like a crest; the metal cap still seals, with original removable cork, and the ceramic still rings true when tapped.

This one carries its own small provenance: the enamel Maker's Mark tag reads Dainari Sake, Nanaga City, a local brewery marking now lost to easy record, the kind of detail that tends to disappear along with the small breweries themselves.

Estimated era: Late Meiji / Taishō, c. 1900s–1920s. Roughly 100–120 years old, read from the hand-thrown glaze pooling, the oxidized cap, and the coarsely woven, sun-faded hemp. Bought from a boutique collector in Tokyo who confirmed.

Measurements: 7.5" x 4.5"

Patina note: One of one. Carrying the soft patina that only time can give; significant flaws are always detailed above.

Estimated era: late Meiji / Taishō, c. 1900s–1920s.
Age: roughly 100–120 years old, read from the hand-thrown glaze pooling, the oxidised cap, and the coarsely woven, sun-faded hemp.

Measurements: 7.5in x 4.5in

Tag says: Dainari Sake, Nanaga City

Patina note: One of one. Carrying the soft patina that only time can give; significant flaws are always detailed. Hemp has visible signs of wear and tear, as does the cork.