Smooth Blowfish Tobacco Pipe

Germany-based artisan Ken Dederichs combines the pipe-making styles of his homeland, Japan, with his current country of residence in addition to drawing from the Danish school of design. This approach has resulted in a portfolio of beautiful smoking instruments with an eclectic, highly unique style — this Asymmetrical Blowfish being a prime example.

The Blowfish is an inherently dynamic shape, yet Dederichs has managed to take this dynamism to a whole new level, from the extra-asymmetrical shank to the dramatically twisting bowl. The oblique, round, asymmetrical panels and aforementioned dramatic curvature of said bowl imbues the composition with a strong sense of implied motion, which is only furthered by the curling, flaring shank and the high-kicking stem that joins it. The junction between the latter two elements is punctuated by an inlaid brass ring that adds just the right amount of flash to the stummel's otherwise dark, rich finish. Said finish beautifully accentuates this pipe's lovely grain, which Dederichs has maximized to great effect, conflating every twist and turn of a panel or ridgeline with the impressive birdseye and cross grain that abound throughout the briar.