Copyright
© 2001 & 2002 John C. Loring
Fire making tools (hiuchi-bukuro and
hiuchi-bako). The Japanese flint pouch (hiuchi-bukuro) dates back to at least 700 CE and consists of
a small leather, flap over pocket which held flint and tinder, attached at the
bottom to a strip of steel. The pocket
flap often as not is found with metal decorations but rarely of the quality of
a tabako-ire kanagu (for that reason flint pouchs are seldom
found in object d’art oriented collections). By the 19th
century the hiuchi-bukuro appears to have been only very occasionally,
if ever, a part of a man's smoking ensemble and probably was carried only while
traveling or by workers in the
countryside. Further, even earlier the hiuchi-bukuro may have been at least
partially replaced, as discussed above, by the bottom compartment of a two case
tonkotsu or the side pocket of a tabako-ire.
A more novel fire making tool dating to as early as
the 17th century was a mechanical netsuke in the form of a
miniature but fully working flintlock gun mechanism inside a walnut shaped
metal shell. These are known as hiuchi-bako. While intriguing the hiuchi-bako seems
never to have attained significant use and certainly all but disappeared by the
19th century. Remarkably
though, while seldom found, when found these hiuchi-bako are often still in working condition (which
perhaps speaks to the novelty as opposed to the utility of the piece).
Lastly, illustrations sometimes show lower classes
at work, carrying a coil of smoldering, slow burning 'rope' to light a kiseru when time
allowed.
The netsuke. The netsuke (the 'u' is silent) was
the toggle of the smoking ensemble (and other sagemono) that kept it
from slipping loose from the obi.
While it’s origin was likely well before the 16th century as
a simple utilitarian device by the 18th and 19th
centuries netsuke, even in common
forms, were true miniature sculptures, and in the hands of a number of great
Japanese carvers (netsuke-shi) perhaps the finest miniature sculptures
the world has ever seen. And in all events a fine netsuke would have been a very important part of any quality sage tabako-ire ensemble. Netsuke
are primarily collected today quite independent of other Japanese tobacciana,
indeed a netsuke collector would be
apt say that considering a netsuke
part of a tobacciana collection is akin to considering a finely cut diamond
part of a rock collection. On the other
hand just as kiseru and kanagu are often collected today by
afficiandos of Japanese metal work, tsutsu
and tonkotsu are often collected
today by netsuke collectors because of the quality and similarity of
decoration. There are many types of netsuke, made out most every material
imaginable, but a few types are particularly associated with pipe smoking.
Two of those types have already been mentioned, the
occasional miniature but fully working flintlock gun mechanism (hiuchi-bako),
and the more frequently seen suigarakke (or kurawa). The suigarakke
was both a netsuke and a device to temporarily hold embers to light the kiseru. Most usually it was cast of brass in the
concave form of a mokugyo (gong), a jingasa (a 'soldier's hat'
although worn by many non soldiers, even women) or occasionally the more
elaborate kabuto (a samurai battle helmet). Wooden, bone or ivory bowl shaped netsuke were
also likely used at least occasionally as suigarakke.
While not specifically smoking related, most
typically a netsuke for tabako-ire,
would be an English muffin shaped manju style piece or the similarly
shaped kagamibuta style which had a wide metal lid inset in the
center. A commonly found ensemble style
of the late 19th century typically had a kagamibuta style
netsuke of either ivory or celluloid and
a silver disk embossed with a dragon or other mythical animal anchoring
a many threaded silver chain, with a decorative 'napkin ring' like fixed metal ojime,
and a figured leather or brocade tabako-ire
at the end.
A tonkotsu, the hard sided tobacco case, might typically be anchored by a netsuke
of any type, including of the most popular three dimensional sculpted katabori
style.
A
Final Thought: In 18th and 19th century
Japan five elements coincided to leave us today with some of the worlds finest
craftsmanship and artwork in a very peculiar form: a richening economy; a population that
universally smoked pipes; a rising merchant class with only limited alternatives
to publicly demonstrate their wealth; and a remarkable group of artisans, some
of whom were ultimately forced to turn to smoking articles when traditional
work was denied them. These element
converged to make pipes and pipe smoking accessories in pre-20th century Japan
one of the most important ways for both men and women to enjoy and express
their status, wealth and individuality both in the home and in public. Consequently we have left to us today perhaps
the most remarkable and finest of pipes and pipe accessories to have ever been
crafted. Equally remarkable, as popular
as the kiseru was in the 18th and 19th century, with the
coming of the 20th century the cigarette culture rapidly replaced
that of the kiseru. Today it is said
that many, perhaps most Japanese have no idea of kiseru but for occasional use
in traditional theatrical and television drama and while one can see obvious
adaptations of tabako-bon and tabako-ire to a world of cigarettes it
may well be only the western collectors who recognize the derivation.
Copyright
© 2001 & 2002 John C. Loring