Beautiful, isn't it?
Surely you recognize the kiseru (ã‚セル)!!
Fans of samurai and history-based Japanese films have undoubtedly seen one of these being contemplatively smoked during discussions of either covert military strategies or flirtatious banter leading to kimono-less frolics on the tatami.
My new Kiseru arrived today from Japan thanks to the excellent service I received from Living Shop Ando, one of the only places selling these authentic pipes internationally. (I'll tell you about Ando below).
Here's (almost) everything you ever wanted to know about traditional Japanese ã‚セル including what Japanese tobacco you put in it and how to get your own...
some info
The term "kiseru" is said to have come (according to my SanSeido Dictionary) from the term "ksher" of the Khmer language of Cambodia. Since it is a "borrowed" word (from other cultures) "kiseru" is generally spelled using the katakana writing system -- ã‚セル. Interestingly enough, over time the kanji for "chimney" (enkan / 煙管) has also taken on the (additional) pronunciation of "kiseru". (Thus a dictionary search for the term will produce both versions.)
Kiseru are almost always comprised of a tube of bamboo (or some other wood) capped by a small stem and bowl made of either silver or bronze. If you search the web for "kiseru", you will uncover many pictures of ornate Meiji and pre-Meiji kiseru pipes and accessories.
The bowl is so exceptionally small compared to Western standards that the endeavour of smoking a kiseru may seem fruitless. But please keep in mind that in Japanese culture sake is also imbibed from very tiny cups -- and that has hardly stopped them (or me) from getting a buzz on.
mongip's story
As far as getting my hands on one of these: I simply could not find an online store in the USA selling kiseru (and I am familiar with the major pipe/tobacco sites here). And the ONLY (trustworthy) Japanese site I could find which (a) sold kiseru online and (b) would ship abroad, is:
Living Shop Ando (www.lsando.com) owned and operated by Mr. Takamitsu Ando.
Before ordering from the site I called Living Shop Ando and found that Ando-san could speak English and was very helpful. The quality of service and information I have received from Mr. Ando has been impeccable. Thus I have absolutely no reservation recommending him to you in the event you wish to purchase one of these pipes. (And I doubt you could buy a new one elsewhere.)
Just a heads up: one Yen (¥) now roughly corresponds to a US penny (¢) -- given the credit card service and all that. Thus ¥1000 will equal roughly US $10.00 (and 45,000yen equals $450.00).
Here are some detailed views of my new kiseru:
This photo doesn't quite capture it, but the sakura leaves actually shine as bronze through the silver-plated sculptured surfaces. Who said craftmanship is dead?
Here is the whole ensemble I ordered. One pipe. A pipe and tobacco case (kamasu / ã‹ã¾ã™). And Japanese tobacco for kiseru. (PS: I ordered more than this much kiseru tobacco. More details below.)
Check this tobacco out! You can see this is nothing like Western pipe or loose-leaf cigarette tobacco. It literally comes in fine hairs. This is Japanese tobacco intentionally used for kiseru pipes. As far as I know there are only two predominant brands of kiseru tobacco -- koiki (å°ç²‹ / ã“ã„ã) and yamabuki (å±±å¹ /ã‚„ã¾ã¶ã). What you see here is the koiki brand.
Just like the pipe, the tobacco packets are small. Koiki comes in 10 gram (0.35 Ounce) boxes each costing about 320yen. Although I have not yet fully proven this theory, each 10g package seems to hold enough for 40-50 kiseru bowls.
If you are at all interested in purchasing akiseru and its tobacco, I wholly recommend you contact Living Shop Ando. The page I am linking to is their English "Kiseru" page (which Ando-san has translated just for you!).
If you choose to contact LSANDO, please mention SaruDama. (I certainly don't get any "kick-back" but) I think Ando-san will be glad to learn of our rather intense japanophile community. (But please, if you mention SaruDama's name, I ask that you represent us very courteously.)
Just to tease you, here's the collection LSANDO currently offers. (Can you see mine?) Click on the pic to view www.lsando.com.
[UPDATE: I've provided LSando's newer collection of KISERU pipes HERE.]
Thank you sooooooooooooo much for your website and the links to the Living Shop Ando. I've wanted to find a pipe like these for EVER and couldn't find any that weren't crazy expensive. I'm going to order one today! Can't wait!!
Thank you for these links and these infos. Finally i'll get a kiseru^^
I just ordered a kiseru! *sqeels with delight*
My friend just ordered one for me. Roughly how much did it cost total for you guys?
Hey thanks guys for this website, it rocks!! i was looking around in the wrong places for these kinds of pipes. I saw Yūko Ichihara from XXX Holic use one of these and i though they were so much better to smoke than nasty old cigarettes.
I thought that I would spend the money on an antique because I love the details that they have. But these ones are very beautiful in a very simplistic way. Thank you so much!
Just received mine Wow it's fantastic. Really glad I found your site and where to order one. It's almost as much a work of art as a pipe.
Omg omg omg thank you sooo much I have been looking everywhere for one of these. I seen Mother from Memoirs Of A Geisha use one and I fell in love thank you sooo much!!! ^_^
I grew up watching old samurai movies and every now and then I'd spy an oiran or a daimyo with a kiseru. And later on they'd appear in many manga. I always dreamed of having one and never thought I'd see the day when I would actually have one! It's a dream come true!
Thank you so much for the link, Im going to order one for my husbands birthday. Can you please tell me how long delivery takes?
Thanx,, you've been a huge help on the journey to quit smoking cigarettes. Even though I am a smoker.. now i know Im -minus- 2000
chemicals and we would all be better off smoking kiseru, compared to ridiculous Americanized population control... Thanx again for your help D
Thank you! A good friend of mine had been wanting one for a while so now I can surprise him with a not too super expensive full set!
I have been wanting one of these for years, I ordered one the next day after reading your blog. Thank you for posting the information.
hi, i have a kiseru but its in a really bad state and i was hoping to clean/fix it. does anyone know where i could do that?
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SARUDAMA says: Unless your kiseru is an heirloom or historical piece, I doubt the cost of "fixing" it would be justified versus simply buying a new one. By that I mean: a NEW kiseru costs between $15 and $70. And as you can tell from your own, the segments do NOT unscrew, so you're talking about a "fix" which involves reconstruction.
Of course I/we don't know exactly what you mean by "bad state". But I do know that whenever "Bad State" is used to describe a particular character, particularly in a Zombie film, that dude/dudess is cooked, plain and simple. Better to pay $40 for a new pipe than risk getting infected by that zombie pipe you're so emotionally attached to.
If, after all that, you still want to clean/fix your kiseru, please consult LSando:
http://www.lsando.com/pipes/e/kiseru.htm
How do you smoke it actually? Do you just stuff a bit of tobacco inside the bowl and light it up with a match like you do with a Western pipe or do you use some other way?
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SARUDAMA says: Stuff and light, like you said. The Japanese can sometimes be esoteric, but when it comes to smoking stuff, they're like everybody else (just smaller?).
I've spent ages trying to find a new kiseru so finding and reading your site was brilliant. Thank you so much for putting up the information and links, I've just e-mailed Ando-san and am looking forward to buying a kiseru very soon.
Just got my kiseru, an its so f**king awesome!!!! LSANDO!!!
Great post on Kiseru! I am a huge fan and have been lucky enough
to be exposed to several variations of Kiseru pipes...you cannot
beat the smoke from a Kiseru. There is something relaxing, yet
stylish, about them. They make me want to sit out on my deck in
the sun while listening to the wind blow and birds chirp. Do you
know of any stores in the United States worth checking out? How
about anymore websites?
Thanks!