An ochoko is a small sake cup, usually holding a bit more than a sakazuki and accommodating two to three sips. Originally, ochoko sake cups were used as small kobachi bowls for side dishes.
However, around the mid-Edo period (1603 CE–1868 CE), they began to be used at sake gatherings, where people would start with a sakazuki and then switch to an ochoko as the evening went on.
Ochoko sake cups come in various materials and shapes. Sake cups included in sake sets are commonly ochoko sake cups.