Tsuge Ikebana: Sandblasted Bent Dublin (Ohi) (I) (257) (2017) Tobacco Pipe

Yoshirou Ohi is one of the three talented artisans who comprise the Tsuge Ikebana, or "Living Flower" workshop. Kazuhiro Fukuda, who traveled to Denmark to learn under the tutelage of none other than Sixten Ivarsson, is the master of the workshop, and he supervises the other two artisans, Yoshirou Ohi and Asami Kikuchi. Ohi came to the workshop with a considerable amount of experience already under his belt, and produces pipes with a distinctive organic presence that fits right in with the workshop's aesthetic.

This bent Dublin is a fine example of how Ohi works, taking the flared bowl of the classic shape and rounding and softening the profile in ways that make me think of an Acorn. The transition is an easy flow from bowl to shank, with the shank then expanding into a domed face that yields an organicism of its own. A dark mahogany sandblast commends the briar's handsome growth rings without spoiling the subtle precision of the profile, while the rim and domed shank face present a smooth, lighter surface and discrete contrast.