Smooth Bent Egg (Fukuda) (N) (182) (2017) Tobacco Pipe

This bent Egg is a rather charming piece, forward and dynamic in shape. Its Shield-like paneled edges work to frame a neat line of crossgrain, while top and bottom boast some tightly-packed whorls of birdseye. The result is a rather novel form, one calling to mind the look of a Tokutomi-esque Blowfish, turned 90 degrees so that the disc-like panels are oriented top-to-bottom, rather than left-to-right. The slight asymmetry between top and bottom creates its organic flow, bringing to my mind immediately the image of a humpback whale, for instance. The gentle taper to rim creates a soft "lip" in profile, balanced neatly by a crisp, flaring shank, and upward-flicking stem. It's well-executed work, of the sort that we've come to expect from Tsuge Ikebana.