Water bottle - Suitou

It is one of the drinking utensils, and is used to carry drinking water or alcohol. It is distinguished from a heiji (bottle) or a choshi (sake cup), both of which are drinking containers, in that they are portable.

The original form was a bamboo tube cut into pieces with a drink placed between the nodes. A similar item was the gourd, but this was distinguished from the gourd. It was simply called a "tube" or a "small tube" due to its shape. In the February letter of "Teikinourai," which is thought to have been created in the early Muromachi period, an invitation to a cherry blossom viewing party states, "From now on, you should bring along a broken basket or a small tube," which shows that it was widely used at the time. One theory is that it was called "sasae" because it was a bamboo tube, and the edges of the bamboo leaves (sasa) branches indicate that it was called "sasae" (Teijo Zakki), while another theory is that it meant "house of sake" because it was used to put sake (sasa) in it (Rinchi Shuyo).

In the Edo period, it was mainly written as "sui-tsutsu" or "suitou" as it is today, but in either case it was read as "sui-zutsu." The ancient bamboo ones were widely used because of their simplicity, but on the other hand, various types of suitors that deviated from the traditional shapes appeared, such as those with elaborate techniques such as lacquering, family crests, and coloring for outings and theatergoing, or those that were round, turtle shell-shaped, or shogi piece-shaped. Even after the Meiji period, for example, the "Army Camp Hygiene Guidelines" from the Russo-Japanese War states, "Always fill your water bottle before leaving," and furigana is added to "suitou" (water bottle). Therefore, it seems that it was quite late that it began to be called "suitou" as it is today.

[Moriya Masahisa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

飲食用具の一つで、飲料水あるいは酒などを入れて携帯する用具。携帯するという点で、同じ飲料容器でも瓶子(へいじ)や銚子(ちょうし)と区別される。

　もともと青竹を切って、節と節の間に飲料を入れたのが原型である。類似のものにひょうたんがあるが、これは別に区別された。その形状から単に「筒(つつ)」、または「小筒(ささえ)」とよばれた。室町時代初期に成立したとみられる『庭訓往来(ていきんおうらい)』2月状には、花見の誘いに「破籠(わりご)・小筒等は是(これ)より随身すべし」と記し、当時広く使われていたことがわかる。一説には、竹の筒であることから竹の葉（笹(ささ)）の枝の縁により「ささえ」と読んだといい（『貞丈雑記(ていじょうざっき)』）、また一説には酒（ささ）を入れるので「酒の家」の意であるという（『輪池拾葉(りんちしゅうよう)』）。

　江戸時代には、おもに「吸筒」、または現在と同じく「水筒」と記されることが多いが、いずれの場合も「すいづつ」と読まれた。古来からの青竹製も簡便さから盛んに使われたが、一方では行楽、芝居見物などのために、漆塗り、家紋入り、彩色などの技巧を凝らしたもの、あるいは円型、亀の甲型、将棋の駒(こま)型など、従来の型から逸脱したものが種々出てきた。明治以降も、たとえば日露戦争時の『陸軍陣中衛生心得』には「出発の際は必ず水筒を充(みた)すべし」と記し、「水筒」に「すいづつ」と振り仮名を打っている。したがって、現在のとおり「すいとう」とよぶようになるのは、かなり遅いことであったらしい。

［森谷尅久］

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