Tokkuri 徳利
Generic term for ceramic flasks used to warm and serve sake, usually with a narrow neck for retaining heat. Tokkuri come in all shapes and sizes. Usually holds about 360 ml. of sake. The most popular styles are Bizen, Iga, Shigaraki, Imari, and Mino. Click here to learn about each of these styles in our Pottery Guidebook. Choshi is another term for tokkuri, but most often choshi are made of metal and have a handle.
You can find all the necessaray information about Tokkuri and their various forms on this extensive HP of Robert Yellin.
The most common form is probably the form of a scallion (rakkyoo 辣韮) , the head of a crane (tsurukubi 鶴首) or in form of a turnip (kabura 蕪).

Do not forget to keep reading on this HP.
このＨＰをぜひ見てください。
http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/flask-shapes.htm

There is also an article about the ZEN of Tokkuri.
禅と徳利の話もあります。
http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/zen-sv.html

Robert Yellin has a lot more stories about Tokkuri.
イェリンさんの徳利の話はまだまだあります。
http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=Tokkuri&sp-a=sp0a2bd400

徳利　（日本語の資料）
徳利は、樽などの大型貯蔵容器から酒やしょうゆを移し替えて、小口で購入する際に用いた陶磁器（主に陶器）です。“通 かよい徳利”(“貧乏徳利”)とも呼ばれていました。江戸時代から昭和初期に至るまで、長い間、広く用いられてきました。遺跡の発掘成果 によると、江戸（東京）の徳利は、ほとんどが美濃 みの 国高田（現在の岐阜県多治見市高田町） 産のものでした。『和漢三才図会(わかんさんさいずえ)』（1713年 刊行）｢庖厨具 (ほうちゅうぐ)」の章に、「・・・（徳利は）民家においては日用に酒瓶として用いられており、酢やしょうゆを入れる容器としても適している・・・」という記述があります。また、井原西鶴 (いはらさいかく) の『西鶴織留 (さいかくおりどめ) 』（1694年 刊行）にも、しょうゆを入れる容器として描かれている一節があります。
Since the Edo period a tokkuri was also used to carry soysauce from a shop to your home.
http://kiifc.kikkoman.co.jp/tenji/pack2_06.html

Check out this virtual museum about tokkuri.
徳利の博物館です。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
http://cscns.csc.gifu.gifu.jp/virtual_museum/database/page/0207213060000092.html
http://cscns.csc.gifu.gifu.jp/virtual_museum/database/pageu/0207213610000214.html

A beautiful eight-sided tokkuri with colorful pattern.
色絵菊花紋角徳利。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
http://rekishi.sendai-net.jp/kyoushitsu.htm
Here you can see the many different styles of tokkuri at one glance.
いろいろな徳利がいっぱいあります｡

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/koohoo/journal/no93/

Hot Rice Wine in a Tokkuri 　熱カン
When sake is served hot, it is put in a small pottery bottle called tokkuri. The tokkuri is placed in a hot bowl of water until the sake reaches the correct temperature (about 50 degrees C), although many Japanese use microwaves today.
You can read a lot more about making and drinking sake from the extensive HP of this Sake Museum. There is also a Japanese HP.
酒博物館のＨＰで便利な情報がいっぱい。
http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/japan_guide_05.html

Kayoi-Tokkuri 　通い徳利　貧乏徳利
This TOKKURI is a traditional Japanese item not only in the YAHO area but everywhere in Japan during the early Showa period. A KAYOI-TOKKURI was used to buy SAKE at a store and carry it home in the bottle. Usually it belonged to the store and had the name of the store in big Chinese letters written on it. The neck part was formed to hold back a string for carrying the bottle and nowadays it is closed with a cork. This kind of tokkuri was also used for buying soy sauce.
5合（900ml）入りの徳利を中心に、さまざまな 容積の徳利がありました。

http://www.garage.co.jp/~nakaya/tokkuri.html
http://plaza9.mbn.or.jp/~espoa/tokri.html
http://kiifc.kikkoman.co.jp/tenji/pack2_06.html

Daruma Tokkuri 　だるま徳利
Robert Yellin tells a storie about a Daruma Tokkuri.
"On the backside I found the face of a Daruma and so I named this tokkuri "Daruma's Mountain." Have a look at this piece on the following HP.
だるま徳利のお話はこちら、絵はＨＰにあります。
http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/trio-sv.html

Now let us look at two tokkuri of Yellin's collection.
"What a face! Unable to contain himself on one tokkuri, Daruma blasts out with a hearty laugh that one can almost hear on the other. On the base is written 'Heian, Jyuzan' which means it was made in Kyoto by one Jyuzan or "Long-life mountain". Holding a brush-like 'duster' in his right hand, possibly to swat the mosquito that hovers on the back of this whimsical pair, Daruma has been painted with lively animation. Meiji period, 14.8cm.tall and 6.5cm.across, square form, no box."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
http://www.trocadero.com/japanesepottery/items/44057/item44057store.html#item

Finally let us look at some tokkuri of my collection.
最後に私のコレクションのだるま徳利を紹介します。
Here is a big blue one with three Daruma painted from a pattern, so they all look alike. On one side is a pattern with flower design. The neck is quite long and the whole flask is 25 cm high.
大きめな徳利です。だるまの絵はパターンで書いてありますので、みんな同じ顔をしています。裏に花模様があります。 　　　　　　　

Three similar tokkuri in blue, 16 cm high. They are handpainted and each flask carries a signiture on the bottom.
この三個は手書きで、皆の顔が違います。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
One blue long tokkuri in the typical Edo period form, this one is 21 cm long. The painting shows quite an abstract rendering of Daruma with a hat and the beard sticking out.
江戸時代風の徳利で、だるまの絵もけっこう抽象的です。大きな帽子をかぶっているだるまです。

These two are my favorites. They are about 13 cm high. They look like normal Daruma statues at first glance, with the hands hidden under the robe folded as Mt. Fuji in three folds. One wears a blue-white headband and features a thick beard, the other covers his head under the robe. But looking at the second picture, you soon know their secret! The head comes off and turns into a sake cup. Cheers! I imagine two priests on a cold winter evening, using these nice Daruma containers full of the "Water of Wisdom" to keep them warm and help them through the next period of Sutra chanting.
この二人が私のお気に入りです。だるま像に見えますが、次ぎの写真でその秘密がすぐにばれますね。頭が杯になります！ 乾杯！
寒い冬の晩に、二人のお坊さんがこのだるま器を使って、“般若の水”で体を温め、次ぎのお勤めに備える想像が浮かんできますね。

There will be more stories about the small cups for drinking drink sake (sakazuki) and ricewine (sake) itself.
杯やお酒のことなら、別の話になります。
グイッ、グイッ、と、、、、。