Kiseru

{{Short description|Japanese smoking pipe}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}[[File:Kiseru Smoking Pipe, Before 1894.jpg|thumb|''Kiseru'' smoking pipe, before 1894, from the Oxford College Archives of Emory University]]A {{nihongo|'''''kiseru'''''|煙管||{{IPA|ja|ki̥seɾɯ|}}<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK偏 日本語発音アクセント辞典|edition=revised|publisher=Japan Broadcasting Publishing Corporation|editor=Japan Broadcasting Corporation|date=10 November 1985|isbn=4-14-011040-6|lang=ja|page=205}}</ref>}} is a Japanese smoking pipe, traditionally used for smoking ''kizami'', a finely shredded tobacco product resembling hair.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sarudama.com/miscellaneous/kiseru.shtml |title= Kiseru - Traditional Japanese Pipe |author= Scott David Foutz |year= 2009 |accessdate= 2010-06-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110310081434/http://www.sarudama.com/miscellaneous/kiseru.shtml |archive-date= 2011-03-10 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

== History == The word ''kiseru'' is said to have originated from the Portuguese {{Lang|pt|que sorver}} ("which is drawn").<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Kiseru pipe - The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts, Fureaikan|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/kiseru-pipe/lALC-U7lkMqkLQ|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Google Arts & Culture|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=History of kiseru|url=https://www.kiseru-pipe.com/en/content/9-history-of-kiseru|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Kiseru-pipe}}</ref>

It is believed that pipe smoking was introduced to Japanese high society, such as the samurai, the Buddhist priest classes and rich merchants.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Smoke: A Global History of Smoking|publisher=Reaktion Books|year=2004|isbn=9781861892003|editor-last=Gilman|editor-first=Sander L.|pages=78|editor-last2=Xun|editor-first2=Zhou}}</ref>

Tobacco has been known in Japan since the 1570s at the earliest. By the early 17th century, ''kiseru'' had become popular enough to even be mentioned in some Buddhist textbooks for children.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} The ''kiseru'' evolved along with the equipment and use of incense associated with the Japanese incense ceremony, ''kōdō'':<ref>{{Cite book|title=Smoke: A Global History of Smoking|publisher=Reaktion Books|year=2004|isbn=9781861892003|editor-last=Gilman|editor-first=Sander L.|pages=79|editor-last2=Xun|editor-first2=Zhou}}</ref>

* The ''kō-bon'', an incense tray, became the ''tabako-bon'', a tobacco tray. * The ''kōro'', an incense burner, became the ''hi-ire'', a tobacco embers pot. * The incense pot became the ''hai-otoshi'' or ''hai-fuki'', a jar to contain the ash.

During the Edo period, many samurai and ''chōnin'' smoked tobacco, and often carried a ''kiseru'' in a special case called a ''kiseruzutsu''. ''Kiseru'' were considered status symbols for their owners, due to being made from precious metals and having intricate designs adorned on them. There was also a high cost on importing tobacco, which was considered an extravagance of the rich.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Cunningham|first=Don|title=Samurai Weapons: Tools of the Warrior|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=2012|isbn=9781462907496}}</ref>

The ''kiseru'' would be the main way to smoke tobacco until after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when cigarettes were introduced and rapidly became popular. However, ''kiseru'' would remain popular in rural areas and among people wishing to preserve its culture.<ref name=":1" />{{dead link|date=April 2025}} By 1929, there were 190 workshops and 400 artisans producing ''kiseru'' in Japan. Nowadays, there are only a few artisans left still making ''kiseru''. However, there remains some interest in ''kiseru'' and its aesthetics among the youth.<ref name=":1" />{{dead link|date=April 2025}}<ref name=":0" />

The word ''kiseru'' today is more commonly used to refer to the practice of defrauding the railway system by buying two cheap tickets to get past the entrance and exit gates while not paying for the distance between them. This is likened to a kiseru as there is only metal at the ends, and nothing in the middle, a metaphor indicating that money (metal) only covers the beginning and end.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 1, 2018|title=Japan Train Fare Scams on the Rise|url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2018/02/japan-train-fare-scams-on-the-rise/|publisher=Tokyo Weekender}}</ref>

== Construction == [[File:Komon gawa.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A man smoking a kiseru. Illustration of the cover of the novel ''Komon gawa'' ("Elegant chats on fabric design") by Santō Kyōden, 1790.]]

There are two main types of ''kiseru'': ''rau kiseru'', which are made of three parts; the {{Nihongo|mouthpiece|吸口|suikuchi}}, {{Nihongo|stem|羅宇|rau}}, and {{Nihongo|shank|雁首|gankubi}}, and ''nobe kiseru'', which are made with a single piece of metal.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is a kiseru?|url=http://www.kiseru-pipe.com/en/content/12-what-is-a-kiseru|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Kiseru-pipe}}</ref>

Metal such as brass or silver is beaten to shape the mouthpiece and bowl, then the sides are joined with silver solder. The mouthpiece and bowl are often engraved with intricate and decorative designs.<ref name=":0" />

== ''Kiseru'' as a weapon == The length of a typical ''kiseru'' usually measured between {{Convert|6 and 10|in|cm}}, and their metal ends made them suitable impromptu self-defence weapons in emergencies.<ref name=":2"/>

Much heavier and longer ''kiseru'' were often carried by common people living on the fringes of society, such as the yakuza, gamblers, and gangsters, which were designed to be used as weapons. These pipes were called ''kenka kiseru'' (喧嘩煙管; fighting pipes), ranging anywhere from {{Convert|12 to 18|in|cm}}. These pipes were often made of cast iron or brass, making them effective truncheon-like weapons for striking opponents.<ref name=":2"/>

The samurai were also known to use ''kiseru'' as weapons, often for rare occasions when a samurai would be parted with his swords but still required a means of self-defence. Like the ''kenka kiseru'', they were made completely from cast iron or brass and were called ''buyōkiseru''. A typical ''buyōkiseru'' was about {{Convert|16|in|cm}} long, and could be easily carried in an ''obi'' without raising suspicion.<ref name=":2"/>

Because ''kiseru'' were so often used as weapons during the Edo period, several classical martial arts schools incorporated secret techniques into their curricula. A style of fighting armed with a ''kiseru'' was commonly referred to as ''kiseru-jutsu'', and used similar techniques to those used in ''tessenjutsu''.<ref name=":2"/>

==See also== * Midwakh * Sebsi

== Citations == {{Reflist}}

== General and cited references == * Sander L. Gilman and Zhou Xun, eds. (2004). ''Smoke: a global history of smoking''. {{ISBN|1-86189-200-4}}.

== External links == * {{Commons category-inline|Kiseru}}

{{Japanese (samurai) weapons, armour and equipment}}

Category:Culture of Japan Category:Improvised weapons Category:Japanese inventions Category:Pipe smoking Category:Samurai weapons and equipment