Leather Kiseruzutsu And Its Kiseru

This is a traditional Japanese smoking set dating from the Edo period (probably 19th century), consisting of a pipe, its case.

The Kinkawanishiki or Kinkarakawa,embossed and gilded leather (often called "Cordoba leather" in Europe) was introduced to Japan by Dutch and Portuguese merchants as early as the 17th century. Japanese craftsmen loved this exotic material and imitated or reused it to make luxury items for men, including tobacco jokes (tobako-ire) and pipe cases.

The striated effect we see is a work of embossing on leather, then covered with a primer lacquer and gold leaf, which has delicately patinated and crackled with time and handling.

What it says about its former owner:
In the 19th century (late Edo / early Meiji), tobacco was a major social marker. Owning a gilded leather set imported or inspired from the West showed that the owner was a man of the upper middle class, a wealthy merchant (chonin) or a refined samurai who displayed a taste for rare and expensive materials.

Kiseru length 20 cm