Tsuge Ikebana: Partially Sandblasted Blowfish (Ohi) (K) (249) (17) Tobacco Pipe

Yoshirou Ohi works alongside Kazuhiro Fukuda and Asami Kikutchi in the Tsuge Ikebana workshop. Each carver crafts pipes individually and then stamps their work with their own name, but even without the nomenclature, this Blowfish would be easily recognizable as the work of Ohi. His aptitude for both finishing and shaping are on full display with this piece, not to mention his appreciation for organic aesthetics.

Like most renditions of the Blowfish, this piece features a pair of ridgelines that unevenly bifurcate the bowl, resulting in a lopsided asymmetry along said bowl's flanks. The shank, likewise, has been fashioned with asymmetry in mind, as subtle ridgelines track its upward flare toward the trim saddle stem. The non-uniform lines and disparate proportions those same lines highlight create an impressive, and incredibly dynamic silhouette, with an implied momentum perceivable no matter the angle one chooses to observe the pipe from. The sides of the stummel are dressed in an earthy sandblast that brings vivid definition to the seas of birdseye resting on the briar's flanks, while the rest of the stummel is dressed in a warm, traditional smooth finish that highlights tight bands of cross grain across the length of the composition.