Smooth Bent Egg (Kikuchi) (H) (074) (2020) Tobacco Pipe

Tsuge Ikebana is comprised of three carvers, and though each artisan crafts their own individual pieces, they do so underneath the umbrella of the Ikebana workshop's name while still allowing each pipe maker to realize their creative vision and deliver unique pieces that represent their personally distinctive style. Asami Kikuchi is one of the workshop's artisans and notably attended Tama Art University, one of Japan's most illustrious art schools. Shortly after graduating, Asami was afforded the opportunity to craft wooden sculptures for a client in the Tsuge workshop and immediately became fascinated by the tactile and visual appeal that pipes offered. Kikuchi's talent was readily apparent, and she was offered the chance to apprentice under the workshop's master artisan, Kazuhiro Fukuda. Since joining the Ikebana workshop, Asami has developed her own unique style, delivering sleek, streamlined designs as well as dynamic and curvaceous pieces like this bent Egg.

Kikuchi excels at crafting organic shapes such as Acorns, Apples, and Tomatoes, and this Egg offering does not disappoint. The bowl's slight forward tilt is nicely balanced by the ever-so-slight downturn exhibited by the stem, both elements also adding dynamism to the overall profile. What I find particularly irresistible is how the bowl's bulging flanks subtly taper up toward the rim, which then slopes gently inward to the chamber. Such shaping makes for a pleasant experience in hand and demonstrates the skillful shaping the Ikebana workshop is renowned for. The shaping also follows the grain orientation perfectly, with streaks of vertical rising with the tapering flanks and made even more vivid thanks to the honey-blonde contrast stain.