Talk:Kiseru

kiseru jutsu
I'm "fact" tagging "kiseru jutsu" because the only references to it I've found on Google in romaji are to videogames and roleplaying games, and the only references I've found to "煙管術" in Japanese are to a work-in-progress amateur fighting game. Luvcraft 22:38, 15 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I removed the unsourced statement about kiseru jutsu, but the rest of the material can be easily verified by checking the only source provided for the article. Since the article is very short and basic, I think it would be prudent if one actually tried to read one of the provided sources before demanding citations.
 * Peter Isotalo 08:00, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Importance
I disagree with the label "Low Importance" for this Article because actually the kiseru, if widely publicized, manufactured and distributed, could save millions of lives. From the perspective of smokers who inhale, the kiseru and the middle-eastern midwakh, being utensils with a narrow crater diameter, both permit 25-mg. servings (compared with a 700-mg. hot-burning overdose cigaret), burn the tobacco (or other herb) at minimum temperature as long as user sucks slow enough, and just about eliminate "side-stream smoke".

The Riddle of Japan
Has anyone noticed: polls show over 50% of male Japanese are smokers even today (earlier it was almost 80%)-- yet Japan has the longest life-expectancy of any nation on the planet.

Apparently there is less emphasis than in the west on smoking as a suicidal gesture to connote bravado-- (Bogart, for example, died age 57). Dr. Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998) was shown in a photo on one of his books with a cigaret-- but it was in a 10-cm.-long holder.

Kiseru today
The Article describes the kiseru almost entirely in past tense. This may need correcting-- the kiseru may, like the midwakh, be returning to favor. A store which markets kiseru may be reached via website []. As to be expected, the products shown are very elegant and run from ¥ 700 to over ¥ 20,000.

Rearrange smoking equipment articles
The kiseru and midwakh should be discussed jointly in one article devoted to small-diameter utensils for relatively safe use by inhaling smokers, while a different article discusses equipment-- mostly wide-bowl tobacco pipes-- used by those who "don't inhale".64.107.2.126 (talk) 01:44, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

The article is Low Importance because it is a relatively obscure topic, almost unknown outside of Japan and special interest groups, and even obscure inside Japan. Kiseru are almost never seen except at specialty shops or as part of a costume. Also, things like "the kiseru may...be returning to favor" are just speculation, and can't be included in an encyclopedia article. MightyAtom (talk) 07:41, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your comment. I checked only a few websites and can't disprove what you say. Some websites indicate the midwakh is increasingly popular, especially among youths trying to conceal their smoking, since Dubai passed an anti-smoking ordinance in September 2007.

Why relevant
This and over two million other pages are currently under a heading which reads, "You can help Wikipedia change the world!" Trouble is, I don't know if attempting to change the world would pass the test of NPOV (Neutral Point of View), or Objectivity. The WHO (Feb. 7, 2008) estimates cigarets are killing 5.4 million a year world-wide-- no. 1 genocide in the history of the planet-- and we are to sit here and be "objective"....

Because the Kiseru can be fitted with a screen, and 1/28th of a cigarette can be broken off and smoked in it instead of the advertised overdose, I think this qualifies for top grade of Most Important Article, and should contain instructions how everyone can make their own kiseru (or midwakh if the traditional craftsmen can't meet the demand. Meanwhile, for more discussion, please see [].  Use of such a utensil in smoking cessation, see [].Tokerdesigner (talk) 01:29, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Replacement of picture
1. Here is a commercial website with pictures of kiseru from which, with permission, to replace the one which was removed from the article:

www.sarudama.com/pipe_and_cigar/kiseru/index.shtml

2. This reference, presently in the article, includes an elegant kiseru picture which could perhaps, with permission, be used: