Tsuge Ikebana: Sandblasted Blowfish (Ohi) (H) (237) (2016) Tobacco Pipe

Tsuge Ikebana, which translates to "living flowers" from Japanese, 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.

This Blowfish is a particularly fine example of Ohi's work, featuring intricate line and panel work in robust proportions that remain evenly balance. The bowl takes the central ridge of the Blowfish and pushes it toward the right flank, creating a broad, curvaceous left portion that both contrasts and complements the firm ridge that delineates the deftly excavated right flank. As is customary with this shape, the ridges on the right flank continue into the shank and heel, creating a distinctively organic, asymmetrically paneled shank that flares out into a domed, three-paneled shank face, with plateau on the leftmost panel. Out back, a hand-cut vulcanite saddle stem offers an easy clench. Dressed in a rich, earthy sandblast, the stummel offers a wealth of visual and tactile intrigue with its broad swathes of blasted birdseye, while the bottom shank panel and inner rim are left light and smooth, offering pleasing contrast.