KISERU Pair - Vintage Brass Pipes set in wooden box - Tea Ceremony

This is a vintage set of pipes from Kyoto for tea ceremony in a signed and dedicated box. The pipes are unused. The mouthpieces and the bowls are brass, and the bodies are bamboo. There are floral patterns carved into the brass pieces by hand. The bamboo stems are lacquered. The pipes are in perfect condition, although the mouthpiece on one of them is loose and could use some adhesive to stop it from slipping around. I assume there is some in there originally which dried out. The box is light, perhaps pawlonia, and has a slit in the bottom for a ribbon to hold it closed, although there is none there now. It has a rich patina of age. Both pipes are in cotton sleeves within the box. Judging by where this pipe set came from (I salvaged this from an old house…..), i would estimate they date from the 1950s to the 1970s.

This set of pipes came from Kyoto. I was told that these are pipes from a purification ritual known as the Nakagawa Joeki, or Nakagawa purification. The dediction on the box reads something like “beloved by ‘Nintokusai’ ( a name or title referring to recognition of religious purity - I will assume it refers to the woman who owned them, a tea sensei) ‘sunset pipe’ ( I am guessing this means it is good to smoke in the evening???) At the bottom it is signed. I am not sure if that is the maker, or the person who gifted the pipes. I was also told that something about the inscription has a flirtatious air , seems somehow romantic..…perhaps these were gifts from a courter??

These pipes would be great for display, or for a collection. They can also be used to smoke, obviously, and would make great one-hitters for any herbal enjoyment. The are unused, so there is no tobacco residue or smell in the pipes, yet. They would also make an insanely original xmas gift.

dimensons

just under 40 cms long (39.7 cms)

box is 42 cms x 5 cms (width) x 4 cms (depth)

Share this listing and my shop all over the place, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, the local corkboard, tell the cat.