Soba-choko (Japanese: そ ば 猪 口) are 3 to 9 cm porcelain containers. Mass-produced for domestic use in Japan during the Edo Imari soba-choko pro period (1620–1886), the Soba-choko were traditionally grouped in a configuration of five.
Most scholars believe that soba-choko derives from the Korean word chonchi or chongka - which means wine cup or bowl. Originally, sobachoko were used as spice carriers or drinking vessels, but later became mainly used to contain sauce for dipping noodles Ogawa Keishi and Nakano Tari both suggest that the first noodle shop was installed in Osaka during the Kyoho era (1710s) when soba-choko was produced and used 60 years earlier. More specifically, Nakano sites in historical documents indicate that the first noodles were consumed during the Kan'ei era (1620s), but they were only marketed in the 1710s. Soba-choko was produced in various regions of Japan, including Imari / Arita (Hizen) in Kyushu, Seto in Aichi, Kirikomi in Sendai and Oda in Tosa. Each region produced its own design, color and shape.