Kiseru: Difference between revisions

Prints and paintings from prior to the 19th century sometimes show kiseru with an apparently movable thin, flat round or square of stiff paper, leather or metal fitted at the pipe's rau or do mid-point. If round in overall shape, the bottom appears to have been cut flat.  Referred to as a tsuba (a word more commonly understood to refer to a sword guard) it appears that these were not part of the pipe as originally crafted and that at least one purpose was to act as a pipe rest <span style="font-size:small">(it is reported that occasionally these rests were in fact a fixed metal part of the kiseru).</span>  A late 17th/early 18th century code of manners has this interesting passage: “the host should pick up a kiseru and remove the guard … [and give it to the guest to smoke, who after smoking it, should] replace the guard on the kiseru and put it in front of him.”  When I first read this elusive passage I concluded that the reference was to a mouthpiece ‘guard’ intended to prevent moisture in a recently smoked pipe (a natural by product of smoking) from dripping out.  However, in light of the evidence of the prints (which also do not show any ‘mouthpiece guards’) I must conclude that the reference in the text is to that which is portrayed in the prints.  On the other hand it may be that the purpose of these tsuba rests/guards was to tilt both the mouthpiece and bowl opening of the pipe upwards so that any moisture flowed to the bottom of the bowl rather then dripping out.  More modern textual references speak of cleaning the kiseru with a twist of paper after smoking or of tapping the bowl of the pipe against the edge of an ash receiver both of which would have the effect of eliminating residual moisture.

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[[User:Yang|Yang]] ([[User talk:Yang|talk]]) 08:35, 20 August 2019 (CDT)