Tsuge Ikebana: Smooth Bent Egg (Kikuchi) (F) (010) (2023) Tobacco Pipe

Meaning "living flowers" and named in reference to Japan's lauded flower-arrangement art form, Tsuge's Ikebana workshop comprises three artisans who individually carve pipes under the Ikebana name. A similar, organic aesthetic often unites the workshop's pipes, regularly showcasing distinctively Japanese interpretations of Danish shapes, yet each carver retains their own personal design style, with this bent Egg having been fashioned by Asami Kikuchi.

This bent Egg is pert and robust interpretation of the classic shape, rendered in hearty proportions which favor the fore of the composition. The bowl is plump and forward-urging, resting on a lifted heel, with walls that gently taper upward to a dynamically asymmetrical rim, lifted at the fore to create a sense of fluid motion. Out back, a cheeked transition gives way to a girthy round shank, curled upward to join a comfortably bent saddle stem of black vulcanite, offering an effortless clench. Dressed in a rich auburn finish, the stummel boasts excellent flame grain around the bowl, with dense swirls of birdseye at the heel and rim.