Partially Sandblasted Blowfish (Ohi) (E) (252) Tobacco Pipe

Yoshirou Ohi has brought a very distinctive talent to Tsuge's Ikebana workshop, something they've recognized by making only the second artisan to have his or her own stamp — the first having been Asami Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Fukuda's own star pupil. In this pipe Ohi presents us with something at first glance reserved, compared to other work we've seen from him. That said, with a closer look and some handling, it is, like much of his work, rather unusual — a sort of Blowfish and classic Opera/Oval hybrid, lean and straight overall, markedly asymmetrical, yet very slim of cross-section at the bowl. Well, I say "straight," and that is the sort of stance it takes, but Yoshiro has actually worked in the slightest of curve and re-curve where it comes to the shank and stem, something that doesn't jump out at you certainly, yet which does play into presenting a more natural, relaxed look in profile.

- Eric N. Squires