Tsuge: Yoroi Sandblasted Large Black Poker (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

The Japanese word Yoroi translates into English as "armor," and I find this a fitting name for this eponymous series by Tsuge which comprises a singular Poker shape. This shape has been adorned with metal fittings at the rim and heel, evocative of armor, and features a metal shank that accepts the gently downturned, 9mm-drilled, push-fitted stem which allows for the pipe to be taken apart at any time, even while hot. The cylindrical bowl here is quite robust at over two inches tall, and exudes a decisive muscularity which is exemplified by the black metal fitments and stark black sandblast which covers its briar surface.