Smooth Blowfish (Ohi) (N) (250) (2017) Tobacco Pipe

The Tsuge Ikebana workshop functions differently than most any other pipe manufacturer in that it's comprised of three individual artisans — Fukuda, Ohi, and Kikuchi — who all carve their own individual pipes but share the Ikebana name. It's similar to how S. Bang worked, with Per and Ulf stamping their own pipes, and in the same way, each Ikebana artisan stamps their individual work with their own names as well. All are well established in the craft and boast stunning portfolios, yet their personal styles are slightly different, adding diversity and creativity to Ikebana's total fare.

This Blowfish was fashioned by Yoshirou Ohi, and like his other Blowfish renditions, this piece is imbued with a strong degree of asymmetry — the flanks markedly different from one another. In profile, the left flank bears a much more rounded, almost Apple-like semblance, but the right side displays the Blowfish shape's characteristic ridgelines and paneling. From an aerial perspective, this disparity is made all the more apparent and fascinating: The left side bulges outward with supple curvature, while the right flank appears almost completely flat, the visual weight leaning heavily toward the left side. Upon further examination, the reason for such seeming imbalance is the briar's grain patterns, Ohi having shaped this piece beautifully to orient perfect cross grain along the shape's central panel, leaving birdseye left and right — highlighted by a stunning, golden stain.