Tsuge Ikebana: Partially Sandblasted Bent Apple (Ohi) (I) (255) (2017) 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 study under 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 he brings a wealth of experience and his own unique style to Ikebana.

This bent Apple is an excellent example Ohi's unique style, featuring a silhouette defined by eclectic organicism. The bowl maintains a classic Apple shape when viewed from the side, however, from the rear, one can see that the bowl is canted slightly to the left, creating a comfortable feel in hand while lending a sense of motion to the supple, curved walls. A rounded heel sweeps upward to meet a defined transition to a lenticular shank tilted to the left in a mirroring of the bowl's twisted position. The shank face displays a touch of plateau, continuing in an unbroken line down the smooth lower shank surrounded by dense birdseye, while a comfortably bent vulcanite saddle stem offers an easy clench. The stummel's finish is as inventive as its shaping, as the smooth lower section continues to the whole fore of the stummel, highlighting excellent flame grain, while the rear of the bowl and upper shank are sandblasted, creating a stunning visual contrast, as well as plenty of tactile intrigue.