Tsuge Ikebana: Smooth Tomato (Fukuda) (J) (220) (2017) Tobacco Pipe

Kazuhiro Fukuda originally worked as a craftsman for Tsuge Pipe Company Ltd., one of Japan's most prolific companies at one time. In the 1970s, Tsuge sent six craftsmen to Denmark and Italy several times to learn from and collaborate with artisans in those historic pipe making countries. Among those six craftsmen, Fukuda received tutelage from Sixten Ivarsson and Jørgen Larsen and returned to Japan with newfound skills and artistic knowledge regarding pipe making. After these trips, Tsuge initiated the prestigious, handmade Ikebana line — supervised by Fukuda.

Comprised of three artisans, including Kazuhiro, the Ikebana workshop is a beautiful blend of autonomy and community — each artisan united under the Ikebana name yet also stamping their personal pipes and retaining a certain degree of aesthetic individuality. Fukuda presents this Tomato rendition, dressed beautifully in his vivid, golden stain. The overall shaping fits into the Japanese artisan's proclivity toward robust, organic forms. This particular rendition remains conveniently compact yet features muscular proportions through the oval shank and broad bowl. It's a thoroughly Danish design, marked by supple curves, and no doubt hearkening to Fukuda's tutelage in Denmark.