Janome
蛇の目
التعريف
The blue and white concentric circle pattern painted on the interior bottom of professional sake tasting cups (kikichoko). The janome pattern, meaning 'snake's eye,' allows tasters to evaluate sake clarity, color, and viscosity against the contrasting rings.
بعمق
The white center of the janome reveals the sake's color — from water-clear (most ginjo) through straw-gold (aged or amber sake) to deep caramel (long-aged koshu). The blue ring provides contrast for assessing clarity and the presence of sediment or haze. When swirled, the sake's viscosity (legs or tears) can be observed against the white background. Every professional sake competition uses kikichoko with janome pattern, and the standardized evaluation environment ensures consistency. The cup itself is a 180 ml white porcelain cylinder with a specific rim diameter.