Smooth Bent Dublin Sitter (Kikuchi) (G) (019) (2019) Tobacco Pipe

Joining Kazuhiro Fukuda in the Tsuge Ikebana workshop, former design student Asami Kikuchi fashions beautiful pieces worthy of the Ikebana stamp. Her aesthetic vacillates between sleek, streamlined pieces to those, such as this bent Dublin, that feature plump, compact proportions and a strong organic inclination.

The Dublin shape is typically marked by hard lines, flaring gradually from the heel into the rim. Kikuchi, however, has taken a much softer approach — this piece devoid of crispness apart from the flattened heel and the shank's bottom line. It's an affably chubby piece, fitting well into Asami's portfolio and affording a naturally substantial feel in hand.

Most impressive about this piece, though, is the inherent balance with which Kikuchi has imbued it: The bowl's fore curls organically, perfectly echoing the arching line of the mouthpiece for a beautiful sense of compositional coherence. The grain matches just as well too, as strands of flame grain bend in unison with bowl. Finished in a stunning, mahogany contrast stain, this pipe sits sturdily upright, its organic appeal able to be better admired upon a desktop, emphasized by rugged plateau at the rim and shank face.