Smio Satou Sandblasted Bent Dublin Estate Briar Pipe

Description

While Smio Satou was not the first pipe-maker in his family, he is certainly the most renowned. In fact, Satou is not only one of the most accomplished pipe makers in Japan, but in the entire world. He began his career at Tsuge, and in the 1970s he and Kazuhiro Fukuda traveled to Denmark to study pipe-making under Sixten Ivarsson and Jorgen Larsen. After returning to Japan, the Tsuge Ikebana artisan workshop as founded, where Satou and Fukuda worked alongside each other crafting high-grade pipes. Later Satou left Tsuge to craft pipes under his own name, with his talents only becoming more in demand as the years went by.

To say that Smio Satou’s pipes are coveted would be an extreme understatement. After going solo, Satou crafted around 40 pipes per year, so there is hardly an abundant supply. And, of course, they are masterfully made and typically quite distinct, which this one is on both counts. I suppose the design could be likened to a Dublin-hawkbill synthesis, but the side profile – at least to me – looks more like a crane, or a heron, in flight. As one should expect, the sandblasting on this pipe is perfectly executed, with craggy ring grain that somehow does not detract from the elegance of its general form.

The condition is excellent. There’s a small amount of darkening on the inner back lip of the rim, but I doubt this will put off anyone looking to add a Satou to their collection.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.07″ / 27.17mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g