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I recently got hold of small porcelain sake cup (?) with an intriguing kind of spout on the outside ending in the hole in the bottom, one can blow through it, see pictures.

Has someone any idea where this cup is for? Or where this spout is for?

And also, what is written in blue in the circle on the bottom?
Is it Japanese or Chinese?
I can read 4 characters being a number 3685 三六八五, but I can't decipher the rest. I do know the 2 characters in gold over the blue are 清水, Shimizu in Japanese or Qingshui in Chinese, meaning something like "clear water", but here probably a name.
Any help is welcome and greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Martin,

What does one do when one's sake cup is empty and no one seems to notice? One whistles. Or - in this instance - one blows one's whistle.

If you blow through the bottom of the cup, you should produce a whistling sound. But with my cups, I have found that if you suck on the top of the spout, the noise is louder.

Hi Mikeoz,

Thanks for your answer and your solution seems obvious, although this cup gives just a weak whistle. Maybe because it's only a small cup, 4 cm high.
But thanks again,
regards,
Martin.

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