The Art of Incense
The History of Incense
Nara & Asuka Period
- 538Incense is said to have been introduced to Japan alongside Buddhism (some accounts cite 552).
- 595An aromatic wood — aloeswood — washes ashore on Awaji Island. The Nihon Shoki records that Prince Shotoku identified it.
- 754The Chinese monk Ganjin arrives in Japan. Around this time, aromatic raw materials known as "koyaku" begin to be imported.
Heian Period
- 894The abolition of the Tang missions spurs the flowering of a distinctly Japanese court culture. The blending of incense (nerikoh) flourishes between 901 and 956.
- c. 1008The Tale of Genji is completed. A nerikoh competition is described in the "Umegae" chapter, reflecting incense's central role in aristocratic life.
Kamakura & Muromachi Period
- 1334The Nijo Riverbed Graffiti references "incense gatherings of ten sticks" as a popular pursuit in the capital.
- 1336In the Taiheiki, the warlord Sasaki Doyo burns one kin (approx. 600g) of aloeswood at a cherry blossom viewing at Ohara-no.
- c. 1479The Samidare Diary records Ashikaga Yoshimasa hosting an incense-matching ceremony. Sanjonishi Sanetaka and Shino Soshin classify aromatic woods — considered the founding of kodo, the Way of Incense.
- 1490Aloeswood begins to be imported via the Ryukyu Kingdom. Kyushu ports — Hakata, Nagasaki, Satsuma — play a vital role in the incense wood trade.
- c. 1500Street incense sellers are depicted in the Shichijuichiban Shokunin Uta-awase, showing incense's spread into everyday life.
Azuchi-Momoyama Period
- 1573Oda Nobunaga cuts a portion of the legendary aromatic wood "Ranjatai" from the Shosoin imperial treasury, making incense a symbol of his unification of Japan.
Edo Period
- c. 1596–1680Emperor Gomizunoo bestows nerikoh as imperial gifts and assigns names to precious aromatic woods.
- 1613The Kogo Oboegaki (Tokugawa Ieyasu's own handwritten incense notes) reveals Ieyasu sending letters to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand in search of the finest Kyara.
- 1636Following the sakoku (national isolation policy), a Kyara appraiser is stationed in Nagasaki to select the finest aromatic woods. Kyushu becomes the sole gateway for importing incense materials to Japan.
- 1669The Kodo Hiden-sho is authored by Yonekawa Jouhaku. Kodo reaches its refined form, with aromatic woods classified into "Six Countries and Five Tastes" and kumikou compositions created.
- 1720The Nagasaki Yawagusa (by Nishikawa Joken) records a Chinese trader introducing stick incense manufacturing techniques to Nagasaki from Fuzhou.
Meiji Period & Beyond
- 1868The Separation of Shinto and Buddhism decree and the subsequent Haibutsu Kishaku movement threatens traditional incense culture.
- —Perfumes are imported from Europe, and new "fragrance incense" (lit and enjoyed) is developed.
- —As Japanese traditional arts regain appreciation, kodo flourishes alongside tea ceremony and flower arranging. A growing number of people begin enjoying incense in everyday life, and a diverse range of products is developed.
Incense Ingredients
Common Aromatic Ingredients
Resinous wood formed when a Thymelaeaceae tree is injured. Sourced from Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. The finest grade — dense enough to sink in water — is called "aloeswood." Treasured in Chinese medicine as a premier tonic herb.
The heartwood of the Santalaceae family, prized for its rich and sweet fragrance. Indian sandalwood is the most celebrated. Used in fine arts and crafts, and revered in India as a precious medicine with strong antibacterial properties.
The dried flower bud of the clove tree (Myrtaceae family). Zanzibar is its most famous source. Known as a spice worldwide, it also has anesthetic and astringent properties, and was historically used in Japanese hair pomade.
The dried fruit of an evergreen tree of the Magnoliaceae family, also known as hakkaku or eight-spice. Its refreshing, sweet fragrance is used to flavour Chinese cuisine and spirits — the scent most associated with almond tofu.
Crystallised from compounds found throughout the camphor tree. Its cool, refreshing scent is also used in ink-making. Prized in India as a remedy for headaches and other ailments. Said to have been a favourite fragrance of Yang Guifei. Also known for its insect-repellent properties, long used in tansu drawer sachets.
The dried whole plant of the Lamiaceae family, sourced from Indonesia and beyond. Known as pachori, it is widely used as a woody, earthy note in perfumes and soaps.
The dried whole plant of the Primulaceae family (Lysimachia foenum-graecum), sourced from southern China. Produces an intense fragrance and is also used medicinally in China.
Processed from the operculum (lid) of a sea snail shell, primarily sourced from Zanzibar. Used mainly as a fixative in incense blending.
A resin of the Styracaceae family, sourced from Laos and Indonesia. Sweet-scented and also used as a fixative in blending.
Base Materials
An evergreen of the Lauraceae family, native to Southeast Asia, China, and Taiwan, and found in the warmer regions of Japan such as Kyushu and Shikoku. Commonly seen in shrine and temple gardens and parks. Its branches and leaves are naturally adhesive — dried and ground into powder, tabu is an essential binder in incense and mosquito coil production, and a base material that preserves the purity of the fragrance.
Japanese cedar (sugi) is an evergreen conifer unique to Japan, deeply woven into daily life since the Jomon period. Long regarded as a sacred tree of Buddhist ritual and the spirit world, and abundant in supply, cedar became an essential base material enabling mass production of incense. The Yame region is a noted source of high-quality cedar, carefully stone-ground into fine powder by traditional water mills.
Types of Incense
Aloeswood, Kyara, sandalwood, and other fragrant woods. Used whole in kodo (the Way of Incense) by indirect heating to appreciate the scent. Also used as "wari-ko" (split incense) in tea ceremony, and burned as shavings in temples.
Aromatic woods and various ingredients in powdered, chopped, or shaved form — used alone or blended. Burned as an offering to the Buddha, for purification, and in ceremonies across cultures worldwide.
Finely powdered incense. Used for Buddhist offerings and purification, and also shaped in wooden frames and lit as a rudimentary clock, burning at a measured rate.
Even finer powder than makko. Used in religious practice to purify the body, clothing, and altar. In other cultures, used as a grooming product or fragrance substitute. Also available in liquid or cream form.
Also called awaseko or wakako. Several powdered aromatic ingredients are blended and kneaded with plum pulp, honey, amazura, or sake into small pellets. Introduced to Japan in the Nara period and flourishing in the Heian court, it appears throughout The Tale of Genji. Also burned in the ro (hearth) season of tea ceremony.
The long, thin stick form. Includes thick "bo-senko," slender "Kyo-senko," and coil incense. Simply lit and allowed to smolder. Easy to use, consistent in fragrance, and burns at a steady rate — historically used as a timekeeping device.
Nioi-senko: Blended from various aromatic ingredients with tabu as the binder, shaped by hand or machine.
Sugi-senko: Made primarily from cedar leaves and branches — a purely domestic product. Now rare, as fewer producers remain to harvest and process the cedar. Its simple, earthy scent is increasingly appreciated again.
Incense made by coating a thin bamboo skewer with layers of tabu powder and aromatic materials — resembling a hand-held sparkler. Limited use in Japan, but widely used in China, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
A flat, grooved board of incense used in Okinawa, designed to be broken into sections before use.
Incense pressed into flat shapes — flowers, geometric forms, and more. Some are lit directly; others are used with indirect heat to release their fragrance.
Sticks, cones, and coils that are lit directly and allowed to smolder, releasing their fragrance through the smoke.
Blended aromatic ingredients enjoyed at room temperature without flame. Includes scent sachets, hanging incense, display incense, insect-repellent incense, and letter incense — each designed for a different use and purpose.
Incense for the bath — the ancient equivalent of today's bath salts. A tradition brought from China, reflected in Japanese customs such as yuzu baths and iris baths. Herbs and medicinal plants in bath bags have also become popular in recent times.
Strongly aromatic incense ingredients blended and compressed into pellet form to be consumed orally. Introduced from China, with Heian-period formulas still surviving. By consuming the fragrance, the body itself was said to emit a beautiful scent — an idea whose spirit can be glimpsed in today's breath-freshening gums and lozenges.