Getting the measure of sake
Sake has its own traditional measure, the gō (合), which is about 180 ml. Ten gō make one shō (升), about 1.8 litres. These old units survive in today's bottle sizes: the 720 ml bottle is a yongōbin, or "four-gō bottle", and the 1.8 litre isshōbin is a "one-shō bottle". Wooden masu boxes, once used to measure rice, are mostly sized to one gō, and you may find sake served in one of these or in a glass contained in a masu.
In a restaurant, sake usually comes to the table in a tokkuri or ochōshi of up to about 300 ml, or in a katakuchi, an open bowl with a pouring lip (Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS)). Since the Meiji era, the catch-all name for a sake jug was called a chōshi, which is why people still order "o-chōshi" (Kikumasamune sake library (tokkuri)).
The various pourers can range in size from 100ml to 300ml, which is quite a range. Most commercial bars and restaurants will aim for measures of 180ml as a quarter bottle size, served with two choko or roughly 45ml, so that each person gets two small glasses of sake per pour. However, in more sophisticated sake bars and at home, the choice is yours, you can have a smaller chōshi for a small portion as you drink at home, or you can go larger so that you don't have to pour as much.
To calculate exactly how many pours you get from a pourer depends on the cups you use, so it is hard to be precise, but all of our cups and pourers should have a capacity displayed so you can work it out. If in doubt, please just email us and we can help.
Why so much pouring?
Japanese sake sups are generally quite small and the main reason is that pouring sake for others is an integral part of Japanese culture. It's a way of showing care and respect, and it keeps everyone talking to each other and interacting, so the smaller the cup, the more often the cup needs refilling. And as we will see, traditional sake etiquette reinforces social hierarchy, so it is also a constant reminder of your place at the table.
Just keep an eye on your companions' cups and offer a top-up when one is nearly empty and when pouring or receiving use both hands to hold the tokkuri or cup. So when you pour, hold the tokkuri by the neck with your main hand and steady the base with the other, and when someone pours for you, lift your cup with one hand and support it from underneath with your other hand (sometimes tricky with the very small cups!). Using both hands shows full attention to the other person, just as business cards and certificates are handed over with two hands. In formal company, a junior pours for a senior first, and the senior may pour and receive with one hand.
The reasons why this should be so are not clear. Some people suggest that the two-handed pour began as a sign that your other hand wasn't reaching for a sword, others suggest a superstition that pouring your own means you'll never marry or never be promoted. It is also likely that the hierarchical world of feudal Japan promoted lots of obscure mannerisms to importance just to reinforce social status.
Pouring your own cup has a name, tejaku. It's sometimes described as rude, but that rule really applies to formal occasions, or your host may interpret it as them being not generous or polite enough. Drinking alone or with close friends, pouring your own sake is quite normal. As we said above, the implicit hierarchy in sake etiquette means that many younger Japanese, especially in a less formal setting, will pour for themselves to keep it relaxed. But it can be a sign of humility, cultural awareness and respect if you do offer to pour for others first. After all, there is something charming about pouring your partner's sake at home, it doesn't have to reflect your status!