Tsuge Ikebana: Sandblasted Acorn (Ohi) (H) (178) (2014) Tobacco Pipe

Tsuge's Ikebana workshop is the artisan offshoot of the esteemed Japanese marque, comprising three renowned carvers that each present a unique shaping style and design outlook in every pipe they make. The pieces they create are often referred to as the "flowers of the pipe world," and this is a fitting appellation, as their namesake, "Ikebana," literally translates as "living flowers" and references the highest echelon of Japanese flower arrangement, with the goal of instilling a sense of silent appreciation for the natural world and all things within it.

Carved by Yoshirou Ohi, this Acorn is a strikingly large iteration of the modern classic shape, possessed of a wealth of substance throughout its stummel. The entirety of this piece is supported by a broad, curved underside which allows this pipe to sit stably, rocking charmingly back and forth as it bolsters the impressive stummel's structure. A wide transition here leaves plenty of room to drape a digit, and it marks the start of a lifting shank that flares out to a domed, ridgeline-wrapped face. Paired to this shank is a stylized stem which features a bulbous expansion ring at the base that mirrors the shaping of the stem base for a unified composition. In addition, the shank and stem do well to balance some of the visual weight of the impressively robust bowl, with both it and the shank being rooted at the flattened underside. The bowl here boasts extremely thick walls all the way around, walls which flare out dramatically toward its rounded, domed rim, with the rim embodying a gently organic sense of asymmetry. What results is a bold and hearty feel in hand, with all the boldness additionally serving to wonderfully insulate the capacious tobacco chamber. Dressed in a jet-black sandblast, the stummel here reveals a wealth of rippling ring grain cascading down the bowl and through the shank, keeping the feel in hand rugged and the look serious.