Existing comment:
Tobacco Pipes and Pouches:
Tobacco was brought o Japan from the New World by Portuguese sailors in the middle of the 16th century. The tobacco plant soon became widely cultivated, and by the second half of the 17th century smokers included men and women of all classes. The tiny bowls of the pipes, based on Central and South American models, never permitted more than about three puffs before emptying, refilling, and relighting. Especially in the winter, smoking took place around the brazier, where a burning ember could always be found.
Tobacco was carried in either a hard box (tonkotsu) or a soft pouch (tabako-ire) of tooled leather, snakeskin, or embroidered fabric. A portable smoking set included a pipe, a pipe case, and either a pouch or a box. These sets were carried at the sash like an inro, sometimes with a separate netsuke, sometimes with the pipe case used as a netsuke over the sash, securing the dangling pouch.
One didn't carry both inro and a tobacco punch. The inro was more for aristocrats and the military elite. Actors and sumo wrestlers were among those who tended to carry smoking sets. |