Sake Bottle with Dutchmen

Early forms of sake (fermented rice wine) emerged in Japan over 2, 000 years ago. Among naturally fermented beverages, sake ranks at the top in terms of alcohol content (18-20%; grape wine by comparison averages 12-14%). The global circulation of tobacco from the Americas also impacted premodern drinking culture. This sake bottle depicts two Dutch men holding a Japanese pipe, known as a kiseru. Kiseru were already in use when the Dutch established trade relations in 1609. These elongated pipes became popular in the late 1500s when Portuguese or Spanish merchants introduced tobacco from the Americas.