Zigzag pipe stem

August 2022

The Japanese pipe with the melodious name kiseru is known for its extremely small bowl. The pipe normally has a straight stem of about twenty centimeters. The pipe bowl of the kiseru is made of metal as is the ditto mouthpiece, both mounted onto a bamboo stem. Except in size, there is hardly any mutation to this uniformity. Exceptionally, there are unpredicted discoveries. A wonderful design is this Japanese kiseru whose stem consists of three pieces of bamboo that run zigzag. It is a practical solution to cool the smoke with an extended stem, but still be able to smoke a handy pipe. Undoubtedly, this pipe belongs to the curiosities rather than the luxury smoking utensils. The metal bears witness to this, the brass used is associated by the Japanese with a meager taste experience. In addition, this special design has a negative side from a technical point of view. Because of the four pieces of metal with a total of six welds between the different stem parts, false air is hard to prevent. That does not benefit the smoking pleasure of the pipe. Fortunately, the Japanese craftsmen are very well regarded, so that the production of the connections is airtight. Only drying out of the bamboo due to age can lead to shrinkage, which reduces the perfect connections. At that point it is no longer a pleasant pipe.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 24.507

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