Ray Kurusu: Smooth Erotique with Buddha Belly Bamboo and Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Product Number: 002-637-0030

A rendition of a rendition, this Erotique piece from Ray Kurusu draws inspiration from a Hiroyuki Tokutomi iteration of an iconic Jørn Micke shape. Marked by a rotund, creased bowl, Micke's muse was obviously anatomical, and the Danish carver's popularity in Japan led to Tokutomi putting his own creative spins on the avant-garde shape. Ray has worked extensively with Toku, and this is a design Kurusu is readily familiar with and has fashioned before.

In this particular version, though, Ray has done well to synthesize both Micke and Toku's approaches to the form. Whereas Micke most often carved a symmetrical design, Toku would exaggerate its overall shaping and add asymmetry throughout. Here, Kurusu keeps the shaping more in line with Micke's, but has off-set the shape's characteristic crease, cutting the bowl's fore toward the left and crossing over the chamber.

Further aligning with Micke's shaping style, Ray has paired the bulbous bowl to an elongated shank and stem combination, though he's comprised the shank primarily of Buddha belly bamboo to continue the bulging aesthetic. The end of the bamboo, then, is fitted with a slanted boxwood accent, adding one of Kurusu's signature design elements. It's an iconic shape, paying homage to the evolving nature of pipe design, as Ray beautifully and seamlessly combines Micke and Tokutomi's styles with his own.

-Truett Smith
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Measurements & Other Details

  • Length: 7.83 in./198.88 mm.
  • Weight: 2.20 oz./62.37 g.
  • Bowl Height: 1.53 in./38.86 mm.
  • Chamber Depth: 1.19 in./30.23 mm.
  • Chamber Diameter: 0.76 in./19.30 mm.
  • Outside Diameter: 2.08 in./52.83 mm.
  • Stem Material: Vulcanite
  • Filter: None
  • Shape: Freehand
  • Finish: Smooth
  • Material: Briar
  • Country: Japan
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