Tsuge Ikebana: Smooth Dublin with Bamboo (Kikuchi) (G) (021) (2022) Tobacco Pipe

Structural dynamism imbues this Dublin from Asami Kikuchi of Tsuge's Ikebana workshop with traditional elegance tempered by slender aesthetics for a smoking instrument with polish and elegance. The deeply stained bowl rises dramatically from a concise heel, its flanks populated by fine tendrils of flame grain which wrap around its walls. The abbreviated shank is pencil-like and joins a long, slim, svelte length of fine bamboo featuring three full knuckles. The base of the stem expands sightly at the base to mirror the bamboo's own expansions before stepping down to the flat saddle configuration that comfortably leads to the crisp lip button. There are indentations at both the left and right flanks of the bamboo, both extended through into the stem and the stummel to maintain a unified, organic look that's extremely well-realized here.

The rim is flat, accentuating the angularity of the composition, and is chamfered around the tobacco chamber. It's a fairly long piece at nearly six-and-a-half inches in length, yet retains its elegant lines and demure proportions for an impression of abbreviated dimensions despite its long and comfortable length through which the flow of tobacco smoke should be well directed and efficiently furnished. Few pipes attain the elegance inherent in this composition.