Tsuge Ikebana Smooth Horn (E) (054) (2000) Tobacco Pipe

Tsuge Ikebana, which translates to "living flowers" from Japanese, is Japan's most renowned pipe-making atelier. For over a decade, it was a collaboration between three elite carvers: Kazuhiro Fukuda, Asami Kikuchi, Yoshirou Ohi. Together, they would combine their unique styles and pipe-making experience to craft distinctly Japanese interpretations of Danish shapes. Today, Asami Kikuchi is the sole carver and she carries on the marque's legacy in stride.

Crafted in 2000, this Horn from the Japanese atelier is a thoroughly vintage piece, and a beautiful one at that. Unapologetically minimalist in both shaping and finish, its silhouette looks deceptively effortless. While the design itself is a rather simple one, the nature of the shape means that any flaw or inconsistency in the briar's grain would stick out like a sore thumb. Even amongst Tsuge Ikebana's highly skilled carvers, the rejection rate for this type of Horn must be pretty high, which possibly explains why we haven't seen many from the workshop, making this one all the more special.