Kiseru

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Kiseru (煙管, kiseru^?) is an old style Japanese smoking pipe. Kiseru were used for smoking a wide variety of substances, including tobacco, cannabis, and opium. It is typically made out of metal on the ends (the mouth piece and bowl), with a shaft typically made out of bamboo. Another distinct trait of a kiseru is that the bowl is much smaller than that of many western-style pipes, and if fitted with a fine-mesh metal screen, permits small servings at a low burning temperature.

There are many kiseru adorned with elaborate artwork and details made by skilled artisans. Made with precious metals, they naturally became a status symbol of the kiseru owner. The word kiseru comes from the Khmer word "ksher". Because the kiseru is basically a rod with metal ends, longer kiseru have been employed as weapons, especially by the gangster-like kabuki mono samurai of Edo period Japan.

Tobacco was known in Japan in the 1570s at earliest and by the early 17th century, kiserus had become popular enough to be mentioned even in some Buddhist textbooks for children. The kiseru evolved along with the equipment and use of incense associated with the tea ceremony. The kō-bon, an incense tray, became the tabako-bon, a tobacco tray, the incense burner evolved into a pot for tobacco embers and the incense pot became a type of ash tray.

During the Edo period weapons were frequently used as objects with which one could flaunt one's financial status. Since commoners were prohibited to carry weapons, an elaborate kiseru carried slung from the waist would often serve a similar purpose. After the Meiji restoration and the abolishment of the caste system, many craftsmen who previously had worked on decorating swords moved on to designing kiseru and buckles for tobacco pouches. Though mass-production of cigarettes began in the late 19th century, it was not until after World War II that the kiseru went out of style and became an object of tradition and relative obscurity.

[edit] References

• Smoke: a global history of smoking (2004) edited by Sander L. Gilman and Zhou Xun ISBN 1-86189-200-4