Tajima

Tatsuo Tajima, born in 1955, native of Tokyo. His previous life was a well decorated Film and Graphic Designer. Since 2007, as fate says under the guidance of Shizuo Arita and Shigeyoshi Yanagihara embark on pipe crafting as a second career.
Drawing from other genre of smoking culture such as shisha and similar paraphernalia he makes you wonder and reconsider what smoking pipe actually is about. At most part, he would say the experience, the quality of smoke (moisture, flavour, and temperature) while using something that we can appreciate aesthetically. His work set boundaries free and invite smokers to be more universal and uniting at one point: on the flavour of tobacco and the experience of drawing a smoke. 
For inspiration, he goes to the same park most of the time. He picks up elements of nature that he saw interesting. "Nature is different everytime we visit." says Tatsuo-san. It is alive. Some days, even hours, leaning more towards the sun. It might be blooming, or fallen to the ground. There are movement.
Not only a naturalist in approach but artificial landscape and man-made creation also inspire him. NASA space shuttle to construction site digging gave him inspiration. I just called it simply being a Japanese and their fascination of robots and mechanical wonders. If his pipe is a painting, his expression would be Dali kind of surrealism. 
Capturing nature in his own way, it could often be more realistic as a result.
Often you will see his combination of modernism and retro being executed with Wabi-sabi aesthetic. Also, behind that artistic styling and unique structure, he is always on the exploration on the new experience of smoking, when possible contribute to the health aspect. Such as the use of reverse calabash and longer shank to decrease moisture and cool down the smoke due to longer travel. 
In life, he drinks tea throughout the year, warm Oolong Tea in winter and cold Mugicha in summer. He drinks no alcohol. By all means, I have tried with both tea or alcohol, and his pipes still smokes like a dream. He is also in touch almost on a daily basis with a retired senior pipemaker, Shigeyoshi Yanagihara.
Tatsuo Tajima, currently resides in Tokyo, lives quite close with his teacher and friend, Yanagihara-san. His current pipe production is about 60 pipes a year.
== Gallery ==
Image:Tajima Fuji.jpg‎|Slope of Fuji
Image:‎Tajima Landscape 13.jpg|Birds leaving a hill
Image:Tajima Landscape 14.jpg|Fuji in Summer
Image:Tajima Landscape 15.jpg|Sakurajima Volcano
Image:Tajima Landscape 16.jpg‎|Ubud (Bali) and beach
Image:‎Tajima Landscape 17.jpg|Mountain
Image:Tajima Landscape 18.jpg|Volcano
Image:Tajima Landscape 19.jpg|Rice Field on Volcano
Image:Tajima Landscape 20.jpg‎|A drop of water
Image:‎Tajima Landscape 21.jpg|Muscle beach
Image:Tajima snail 18.jpg‎|Frontal Snail
Image:‎Tajima snail 19.jpg|Oriental Snail
Image:Tajima snail 20.jpg|River Snail
Image:Tajima snail 21.jpg|Bamboo Snail
Image:Tajima snail slug.jpg‎|Slug - a faster Snail
Image:Tajima Geometric Panel.jpg‎|Square Pot
Image:Tajima Mochi on a spoon.jpg‎|Mochi on Spoon
Image:‎Tajima Briar on a Spoon.jpg|Briar on Spoon
Image:Tajima Longstem Tulip.jpg|Longstem Tulip
Image:Tajima Briar Shisha.jpg|Briar Shisha
Image:Tajima Rocket.jpg‎|Rocket
Image:‎Tajima Rocket Foot.jpg|Rocket Foot
Image:Tajima Shy Yin Yang.jpg|Shy Yin Yang
Image:Thomas Inch Barbell.jpg|Thomas Inch Barbell
Image:Tajima Smooth Ol' School Barbell.jpg‎|Smooth Barbell
Tajima 3.jpg
Tajima 4.jpg
Tajima 5.jpg
Tajima 6.jpg
Tajima 7.jpg
Tajima 8.jpg
Tajima 9.jpg
Tajima 11.jpg
Tajima 15.jpg
== Contact information: ==
 Website: http://www.tatupipe.com/
 Retailers of his pipes:
 Amanoya 
 Scandpipes 
 pipes2smoke: https://pipes2smoke.com/collections/tatsuo-tajima
Category: Pipe makers by nationality
Category: Japan