Kiseru

Kiseru

nihongo|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. [http://www.jti.co.jp/sstyle/trivia/know/episode/2005/02/02.html Japan Tobacco Incorporated official website. accessed Aug 11, 2008]

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.

References

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


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kiseru — sur la couverture du roman Komon gawa (小紋訝話, Komon gawa …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kiseru — (煙管, kiseru ? …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kiseru — Japanische Kleinpfeife Kiseru Abbildung aus dem …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bouffarde — Pipe Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pipe (homonymie) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pipe — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pipe (homonymie). La pipe est un objet servant principalement à fumer le tabac mais aussi d autres substances comme le cannabis, l opium, le crack …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pipier — Pipe Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pipe (homonymie) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Legend of the Mystical Ninja — Developers Konami Publishers Konami Platforms Arcade, NES, MSX2, Super NES, Game Boy, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color …   Wikipedia

  • Ganbare Goemon — (qui signifie Tiens Bon, Goemon ou Bonne Chance, Goemon) est une série de jeux vidéo développée et éditée par Konami. La majorité de ces jeux sont des jeux de plate forme plus ou moins mâtinés d aventure avec parfois des éléments de RPG. L… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rail transport in Japan — is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in metropolitan areas.OverviewSix Japan Railways Group (JR) companies, state owned until 1987, provide passenger… …   Wikipedia

  • Ganbare Goemon — es una saga de videojuegos de aventura/plataforma de la compañía Konami, que tiene mucha popularidad en Japón comparable con Castlevania además de ser la mascota de la compañía allí, pero no tanto en occidente debido a su temática del folclore y… …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”