Sakazuki cup

Sakazuki cup

Japanese, 19th century
Urushi lacquerware

For January, we have chosen an object which is used for traditional New Year celebrations in Japan. It is a red urushi lacquer sake (Japanese rice wine) cup, known as a sakazuki. These shallow cups can vary in size and decoration. Red is the most common colour for a sakazuki cup. This is because red is a sacred colour associated with fortune, luck, protection, and the Shinto religion. Sake is very popular in Japan and is enjoyed at celebrations and weddings. The drink, which is made from fermented rice, is believed to by purifying and is presented as an offering to the gods at Shinto shrines. Shinto was recognised as an official religion in the Meiji period (1868 – 1912) but can be traced back to ancient Japan when it originated as worship of nature and kami – gods or local guardian spirits.

A sake offering at a Shinto altar, wikimedia commons

The sakazuki cups which will be on display when we re-open in March have a variety of designs, from landscapes and famous views to animals and gods. Our Object of the Month depicts a hero from a famous Japanese fairytale about a man called Urashima Taro. There are many versions of the story, but one is that he was a fisherman who accidentally caught a turtle. He released the turtle into the sea, and it transformed into the beautiful princess Otohime. Otohime took Urashima Taro to meet her father, the Dragon King of the sea. They married and lived happily, but after a few years Urashima Taro longed to return to his home. Otohime gave him a lacquer treasure box to take back to his home, with the warning that if he opened it, he would not be able to return to her. When he arrived home, he discovered that he had actually been away for hundreds of years. In his fear and sadness, he opened the box and was transformed into an old man. The sakazuki cup depicts Urashima Taro sitting next to the lacquer treasure box and his fishing pole. He is wearing luxurious robes, suggesting that he has returned from his life in the palace of the Dragon King. He appears to be looking down sadly at a small turtle, perhaps reminded of his wife, Otohime.

Otohime giving Urashima Taro the treasure box, Matsuki Heikichi, 1899, Kyōiku mukashibanashi Urashimataro, wikimedia commons

Expensive sakazuki cups decorated with red urushi lacquer and metallic powders would have been made for the elite during the Edo period (1868 – 1912). People from the samurai class, the highest class in society, would have been able to afford sakazuki cups decorated with symbolic or fashionable designs to use for celebrations. The Chiddingstone Castle collection includes around 70 sakazuki cups decorated using the maki-e technique. Gold or silver powder is sprinkled onto a design painted in wet lacquer. Pieces of cut metal foil or shell are also added to enhance the design. Lucky designs were popular for New Year sakazuki cups, such as the seven lucky gods, or symbols of longevity like the crane or turtle. The woodblock print below, which was designed around 1825 by Utagawa Toyoshige, suggests that people could even buy sakazuki cups with a design of their favourite Kabuki theatre actor.

An Actor’s Image in a Sake Cup, Utagawa Toyoshiga, woodblock print, ca. 1825, Metropolitan Museum, object number 2001.715.5

 In Japan, New Year is one of the most important occasions. Families meet to exchange gifts and eat traditional food, accompanied by sake. There are many traditions, such as osouji or New Year cleaning and hatsumoude, the first temple or shrine visit, which prepare for a good year ahead. We look forward to welcoming you back this year to the castle and the new Japanese Room displays. Keep an eye out for Urashima Taro amongst the sakazuki cups.  

This object is just one of the many objects that form part of Denys Eyre Bower’s five impressive collections which include Ancient Egyptian, Japanese, Buddhist, Stuart and Jacobite, and Books. For more information on these objects, review our Object of the Month series, visit the Historic House and Collections or contact our Curator, Naomi Collick by email or by calling 01892 870347.