Tsuge Ikebana: Sandblasted Acorn (Fukuda) (G) (057) (21) Tobacco Pipe

Kazuhiro Fukuda is the leader of Japanese marque Tsuge's Ikebana workshop, a small outfit of three artisans who carve the brand's most superlative pipes. Known as the "flowers of the pipe world," the Ikebana moniker literally translates to "living flowers" in English, a reference to the highest art of Japanese flower arrangement and to the quality of the work the trio does, as if they breathe life into the briar that they carve through their shaping. Fukuda was a student of both Sixten Ivarsson in the 1960s and went on to mentor a young Kei'ichi Gotoh in 1981. As such, Fukuda's shaping style shows a degree of Danish influence, most apparent in his Acorn renditions.

The bowl on this piece is characterized by soft supple curves that rest perfectly in the hand. Compared to other Acorns from Fukuda, this example has a more symmetrical, Apple-like silhouette, maintaining the soft heel spur that appears in most others. Out back, a gently flared round shank joins a hand-cut vulcanite saddle stem that offers an effortless clench and sleek outline. Dressed in a crisp black sandblast, the stummel displays fine ring grain around the bowl, with plenty of texture to keep the fingers engaged.