Ikebana Smooth Horn (C) Tobacco Pipe

While this compact and fascinating Tsuge Ikebana might seem fairly conventional within the general horn milieu, the composition is a subtle, but decided departure from Tsuge's usual approach to the shape. Well, to be more precise, approaches (plural). For eons, the Ikebana horn fell into one of two broad camps; thin, highly elongated, and coming very close to horizontal in arc, or broad-shouldered and featuring such a pronounced vertical arc to the bowl, that the composition would all but hint at a U-Turn (often this form would sport a fissure of plateau on the fore of the bowl). Handsome and quite intuitive in presentation, this horn doesn't sign up for either camp (obviously not a "joiner") but strikes out on its own with naught but a superb form, immaculate engineering and a hypnotically pretty grain in its satchel. You know? I think this one's going to do just fine.

--Bear Graves