Sakai-samegawara Fugu (2326) (2026) Tobacco Pipe

David Huber started making pipes in 2012 and turned his attention to the craft full-time in 2014. He credits Jeff Gracik and Hans "Former" Nielsen among the artisans who most helped in his development as a pipe maker. The Fugu is a Japanese-style take on the classic Blowfish, and nothing about this Fugu from David is symmetrical — not the flanks, not the stem, not the bowl. That was the goal he set out for when he began carving it, and he achieved it. Strong but round ridgelines draw the many surfaces of this piece, which is at once quite well rounded and reinforced with straighter, less ovoid shapes.

That said, the flanks of the bowl — the right of which is sandblasted and darkly stained to contrast with the smooth surface of the left — are round enough to be easily gripped in the manner of a more classic shape such as a Blowfish or Apple. The grain is quite striking, as well, with strong cross grain decorating the top and underside of the bowl and shank and birdseye mostly dotting the flanks. It's an excellent interpretation of the Fugu, which is itself an excellent interpretation of the Blowfish, and a great addition to the collection of anyone seeking a thoroughly unique work of pipe making.

"Samegawara" loosely translates to a "shark skin tile", and "sakai" refers to a boundary or border of some kind. In the context of this pipe, then, the title is making reference to the partial sandblast as a tile of shark skin, with the ridge that surrounds it being the border or "sakai."