Smooth Dublin with Bamboo (Fukuda) (K) (112) (2016) Tobacco Pipe

Kazuhiro Fukuda oversees the Tsuge Ikebana brand, a workshop comprised of Fukuda and two other Japanese artisans. Each carver fashions their own pipes individually, from shaping to stem work, but they stand united under the Ikebana name, literally meaning "living flowers" in Japanese. The workshop was established after Kazuhiro and several other Tsuge artisans traveled to Denmark through the '60s and '70s, honing the craft under the tutelage of revered Danish carvers, such as Sixten Ivarsson. After several trips to and from Denmark, Fukuda established the Ikebana line, offering Tsuge's superlative, artisan-made pipes. Here, the established Japanese carver presents one of his pieces in the form of a straight Dublin.

Other times that Fukuda has fashioned a Dublin, he's done so with a much more organic and rounded style. By comparison, this iteration is much more classic — in line with Dunhill's mid-century, bamboo-adorned "Whangee" pipes. Kazuhiro isn't one to often utilize bamboo, making this combination of traditional Dublin shaping with a bamboo shank extension quite a rarity within the Japanese artisan's portfolio. Despite the classic shaping, however, Fukuda has tastefully and subtly styled this piece to make it his own: The heel dips slightly below the transition's underside, adding supple curvature in profile and echoing the bamboo knuckles' rounded lines. The bowl is tall and stoic, with the broad rim chamfered at the innermost portion, and it showcases a stunning array of grain brought out by an auburn contrast stain. Tendrils of flame grain dominate the flanks, and broad rim offers plenty of surface area on which to display a sea of dense birdseye.