Tsuge Cat's Eye Sandblasted (607) (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

In the 1960s, Tsuge sent several craftsmen to Denmark to learn from Danish artisans. While much of that expertise is best displayed in Tsuge's handmade Ikebana pipes, their standard fare also benefits from Danish design influence, providing a portfolio that includes classic Anglo-French shapes as well as distinctly Danish renditions. This "607" bent Egg is one such Danish design: It combines supple plumpness and gentle curves with a fluid dynamism in profile, and as part of the Cat's Eye series, its robustness is handsomely juxtaposed against the shank's flanking ridgelines. These ridges create a lens-shaped shank face that's ringed with a vibrant ferrule of fiery acrylic evocative of the line's feline name when viewed from the smoker's perspective. This particular example wears a dark sandblast, highlighting the briar's grain with reserved and concise texture and drawing focus to the stunning accent.