Smooth Cobra with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Japanese-born artisan Ken'ichiro Dederichs-Uchida spent the first part of his professional life as an architect in his native country, his education in the field and years of experience informing his evolution as a pipe maker. Dederichs began carving in 2005 as a hobby and in 2007 moved to Germany where, a year later, he realized that pipe making had become his true passion, taking on the craft as a full-time career. Dederichs' perspective on design is truly a singular one, interpreting old world shapes through the lenses of both the Japanese and Danish schools, something clearly seen in this Cobra.

The Cobra is a shape whose history is a bit nebulous, though it was likely originally crafted by legendary Swedish artisan Bo Nordh. A challenging shape to carve, the Cobra is defined by its broad fore, a shaping feature reminiscent of the Elephant's Foot, though crafted with additional curvature and a more pronounced curling look that calls to mind a cobra poised to strike at prey. Dederichs has crafted the Cobra several times in the past, with a good bit of variation in each, and this particular example strikes me as being one of the most archetypal: a measured and confident rendition of a modern classic profile. A rather wide transition here gives way to a short, lifting shank that tapers into a band of jet-black vulcanite that marks the start of a flaring boxwood accent which extends the shank a good bit. Paired to this extension is a lengthy, languid saddle stem also crafted from vulcanite, which takes on a comfortable downturn at the bit for a lovely smoking posture. Up front, the bowl takes on nearly all of the visual weight, the fore wall being surrounded by a firm ridgeline that expertly follows the curvature of the wall itself. Said ridge surrounds the aforementioned iconic panel at the front, and the rigidity of the fore's construction belies the impressive suppleness of the aft wall, where the briar slenderizes toward a rounded peak near the rear of the rim. Not only does this afford the pipe a comfortable feel in hand, but it highlights Dederichs' ability to craft a pipe which is impressively substantive, firm, and soft all at once. Dressed in a warm chestnut stain, the stummel here showcases a swath of birdseye across the fore wall of the bowl, while the flanks display streaks of cross grain.