Hiroyuki Tokutomi: Smooth Blowfish with Japanese Boxwood (Hiro) Tobacco Pipe

When a carver has run the gamut of possibilities for exploring a form in the manner of Tokutomi and the Blowfish shape, to find one as seemingly traditional as this rendition is something like I'd imagine hearing Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin effortlessly strumming Stairway to Heaven would be like. Sure, Toku didn't devise the form in its original incarnation, but his near-constant riffing on it over the years has practically made his name synonymous with modern day interpretations.

This one, with its subtle, pinched ridge meticulously bisecting the shape down the center, indeed seems to adhere to a more western approach, making use of those facets to succinctly divide cross-grain from birdseye. It's imbued with perhaps a more pronounced sense of gesture in profile, the muscular taper and flare of the shank offering a strong, forward-sweeping disposition, propelled forward by the boxwood shank extension. The warm, creamy look of boxwood makes for a gorgeous pairing to the rich red walnut stain, unified quite well through use of a light acrylic spacer. The saddle stem is of the ever-so-slightly fancier variety, the disc-like base making for a pleasant geometrical counterpoint to the rounded shank face. Also of note is the "Hiro" stamp, the carver's highest. Beautiful work.