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Hiroyuki Tokutomi

Tier:

Country: Japan

Price: € 450+

Production method:

Notes: Hiroyuki Tokutomi studied with Danish guru Sixten Ivarsson in the 1970s. He now lives near Tokyo and makes about 120 pipes a year. Enthusiastically purchased by a loyal following of Japanese and American collectors, his work is only available from very few vendors.

Comments:

The tiny Blowfish shown here is a miniature revelation. It is very hard to imagine how anybody in the pipe world could have done a better job with this piece of briar - roughly equivalent to a Dunhill group 2. The basic, boldly sculptural features of the shape are in place, despite the pipe's diminutive size. But Tokutomi has enhanced them with a delightful pizzicato of his own. The intricate carving involved must have been torturous to execute, but without this petite, ornamental element the pipelet might have looked pretentious. Instead, an effect close to perfection has been achieved.

Lacking handling experience of other Tokutomis, I will only hazard this: If all his work meets such high standards, he deserves to be far better known - ranked among the supreme carvers in the world.

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