Tsuge Ikebana: Sandblasted Blowfish (Ohi) (F) (121) (2015) Tobacco Pipe

Tsuge Ikebana, which translates to "living flower" is the name of Tsuge's premier workshop, a collective of three elite carvers led by the venerable Kazuhiro Fukuda, who traveled to Denmark to learn under the tutelage of non other than Sixten Ivarsson. The other two artisans are Asami Kikuchi and the maker of this superb piece: Yoshirou Ohi. Ohi worked as an independent pipe maker for many years before joining the workshop, and brings a wealth of experience and his own unique style to the brand. The majority of Ikebana pipes present a sculptural organic aesthetic, and this Blowfish is a fine example of the workshop's storied design language, presenting the distinct encircling ridgelines that separate plump flanks from the Blowfish's center panel, deftly following the briar's natural grain to coax out maximum detail on all surfaces.

The bowl is a trim affair, more softly-defined that many more Blowfish designs, with the ridgeline on the left side gestural and rounded nearly out of existence but still clearly present in hand. The right ridgeline is more prominent, and shoulders forward to form a prow that generates undeniable implied momentum before wrapping under the heel to reach a gentle spur. The shank gracefully bends down in the center, amplifying the organic nuance of the pipe, then flares to a domed face.

A stimulating sandblast in earthy tones accentuates the briar's grain, bringing out blasted birdseye on both flanks and radiant cross grain striations sweeping across the center panel. A lithe stem of vulcanite completes the arrangement, flaring to a trim, undulating expansion ring before reducing in mass as it glides toward a precise, hand-shaped lip button. Under five inches in length and boasting a light weight in hand, it is small enough to easily slip into a pocket or serve as an elegant clencher for those looking to make a refined visual statement.