Tsuge Ikebana: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Bamboo (Kikuchi) (G) (011) (2024) Tobacco Pipe

Named after the storied art of Japanese floral arrangement, Tsuge's Ikebana workshop evokes the same spirit with their approach to pipe making, imbuing each piece with a sense of vitality through careful shaping. As such, the Ikebana workshop is one driven by artistry, made up of three artisans who each display their own unique shaping style. Asami Kikuchi is the youngest of the three, with her background in visual arts lending well to the workshop's philosophy. Drawn to the artistic potential of woodwork, Kikuchi was introduced to Tsuge's workshop after her fourth year Tama Art University. At Tsuge, she would discover an appreciation for the pipe-making craft, later studying under the workshop's own pipe-making master Kazuhiro Fukuda.

Presented here is an elegant showcase of Kikuchi's style, with this bent Brandy pairing a flowing, gestural posture with a prominent, ovoid bowl at the fore for a graceful, dynamic design. From the plump, sweeping heel, the bowl's walls curve as they taper toward the rim, creating supple contours for a comfortable presence in hand. A slim, abbreviated shank subtly lifts from the bowl and meets a three-knuckle expanse of bamboo, adding an organic character to the composition as the arrangement finishes with a subtly bent saddle stem. Rippling patterns of fine growth rings are revealed across the bowl, drawn out by a crisp, inky sandblast enveloping the stummel, with a smooth, mahogany stain dressing the rim for a touch of contrast.