Tsuge Ikebana: Smooth Tomato (Fukuda) (P) (182) (2015) Tobacco Pipe

This is more what I would expect from Fukuda, though certainly not quite as wild, shaping-wise, as we've seen from him in the past. Indeed, this beautifully forward-gesturing Tomato, imbued with an Ivarsson-esque teardrop line that tapers softly into the heel, is well on the overtly Danish-inspired end of the carver's spectrum. It places an emphasis on breadth and compression along the vertical axis, lending the briar a more slimming look in profile than is revealed when inspecting from above. And as for the grain, Fukuda's certainly accentuated the best this briar had to offer, with an endless showcase of stunning flame, brilliant birdseye, and nary a natural boundary out of place. A magnificent, powerful piece, sure to be a jewel of your collection.