Smooth Bent Dublin (Fukuda) (N) (150) (2019) Tobacco Pipe

While this Dublin from Tsuge Ikebana obviously has hereditary roots in the Danish Fancy school of design, it reveals a Japanese sophistication throughout its sinuous length. It's overall a symmetrical shape, with the bowl itself in an oval along the long axis. The rim is a beautiful presentation of plateau, echoed at the shank end in undulating natural texture. The transition is soft and gradual, with the bowl rising at an angle from the implied visual flow and extended by the gently downturned stem. From an aerial perspective, the shank is wider than it appears in profile, and the grain follows the lines of the pipe both up the bowl and along the shank, accentuated by a light contrast stain. Distinctive and with plenty to keep one's eyes and finger pads occupied, this is a smoking instrument of rare caliber, equal to any smoking situation and in any company.