Urushi Iris with Tamper Tobacco Pipe

Beginning with between five and ten horizontal cuts on the trunk of an Asian Sumac and ending with a finished product of breathtaking beauty, the process of creating fine Urushi is as fraught with danger as the end results are stunning. In both its raw and filtered liquid state, the sap of the Japanese Sumac is caustic in the extreme and can cause violent rashes even from the inhalation of its vapor. Filtered Urushi is mixed with a pigment of various sources before it's then brushed onto a porous surface in smooth, even strokes. At that point, the subject is suspended and allowed to cure for a day, or weeks even. As you can imagine, even Urushi lacquer can only hold a given amount of suspended, heavier particles and the first coat usually just adds a slightly colored, minor opacity to the base. The process is then repeated. Once the master is satisfied with the quality and depth of the surface it can go out as a finished project or, as in the case of your Urushi pipe, a second Urushi process begins. Highly specialized artisans begin the "Maki-e" stage. Taking the filtered lacquer and mixing in sources of pigments that differ from the base (per example, the reds you see require benigara (ferrous oxide), or shu (vermillion), the bright yellows use cadmium and chrome, greens are often chromium oxide and gold is. well, gold. Tiny brushes combine with a fine eye and a meticulous, steady hand to finish the wondrous art before you. This incredible Tsuge straight Billiard, with bamboo, comes with its own tamper, along with a legendary art form that is entering its tenth millennium of practice.

-- Ted Swearingen