Japanese Estates: Ichi Kitahara Smooth Apple with Bamboo (2015) Tobacco Pipe

Trim, straight, and delicate, here we find one of Ichi's more conservative numbers from 2015: an Apple that takes us back to the early Danish influences on Japanese pipemaking, while still showing the barest hint of the distinctly Japanese-school organicism. Slender of bamboo and transition, bulb-like of bowl, the basic form is rather natural, though for the finishing touches I'd point to the very, very slight asymmetry of the bowl, combined with the progressive spacing/rhythm of the bamboo's knuckles; from bowl to first knuckle, from first to second, and from second to third, the spacing increases in a natural-looking manner, where most other artisans aim instead for a steady, repeating rhythm, and a more planned/designed style of aesthetic. It has been smoked, but is still very clean.