Relax with Soothing Scents! A Guide to Japanese Incense

This is the most common fragrant wood and is cultivated in places such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. “Rōzan sandalwood,” grown in the Mysore region of India, is considered the highest quality. In addition to incense, it is widely used for carved crafts, fans, and even medicinal purposes.

This is a rare fragrant wood formed over a long period of time by natural processes in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, including the Indochinese Peninsula and Indonesia. Resin gathers and hardens in parts of the tree due to various external factors such as damage, and as the tree itself gradually dies, the wood matures into fragrant wood. The name jinkō is an abbreviation of jinsui kōboku, meaning “fragrant wood that sinks in water.” In addition to being used as a fragrance material, it has long been used medicinally as well.

Kyara is a type of jinkō. It is formed through almost the same process, but due to differences in its fragrance and oil content, it is regarded as being in a class of its own. In the past, it was collected in limited areas of Vietnam, but this has become difficult today, making it one of the most precious fragrant woods.

These fragrant woods are also processed into various forms depending on how they will be used.

Finely chopped fragrant wood. Recommended not only for oshōkō powdered incense offerings, but also for soradaki, or room fragrance.

Ideal not only for Buddhist use but also for soradaki. It is cut into a long, narrow shape.

This is the form closest to the natural state of the wood. Users cut it into their preferred size before use.

A form used only for sandalwood. It is useful for protecting hanging scrolls and rolled scrolls from insects.

This form is often used at tea gatherings, for Buddhist rites, in tea lessons, and for soradaki.

A neat, squared form used in Buddhist rituals and the tea ceremony.

Incidentally, these forms of fragrant wood are sometimes used differently according to the traditional Japanese concepts of hare and ke. Hare refers to special days such as festivals and ceremonies, while ke means ordinary daily life. Tsume and kizami, which are slightly more affordable because of their irregular shape, are recommended for everyday use as “ke incense.” On the other hand, carefully shaped kakuwari is used as “hare incense” for special occasions.

Dried bark of the Chinese cinnamon tree (family Lauraceae). Also known as cinnamon. It is harvested in places such as southern China and Vietnam.

Dried flower buds of the clove tree (family Myrtaceae). In the West, it has long been used as the spice clove.

Dried fruit of the star anise plant (family Schisandraceae). Also called hachikaku uikyō, or star anise, it is also used as an essential spice in Chinese cuisine. It is produced in southern China, including Guangdong and Yunnan.

A resin collected by cutting the trunk of the benzoin tree (family Styracaceae) and gathering the sap that seeps out. It is produced in large quantities in Sumatra.

Crystals from the sap of the camphor tree known as ryūnōju (family Dipterocarpaceae). It is used as an incense ingredient and as an insect repellent. It is mainly produced in Sumatra and Borneo, but it also became a topic of interest when it was excavated from the Marukoyama Kofun burial mound in Japan.

A resin that seeps from the trunk of a tree called nyūkōju (family Burseraceae). It is produced in northeastern Africa and along the Arabian Sea coast. It is also used in Christian rituals.

A plant native to Vietnam, this ingredient is made by drying and slicing the rhizome of banukon, a member of the ginger family, mainly harvested in southern China and Vietnam.

A dried herb from the mint family native to the Philippines. This plant is also called patchouli and blooms with white to pale purple flowers.

The operculum of a sea snail. It is used as a fixative to help fragrance last longer. It is the only animal-derived ingredient. Today, kaikō from the northeastern coast of Africa is commonly used.

Incense is made by blending these fragrant woods and natural fragrance ingredients. Although incense itself is a traditional part of Japanese culture, most of its raw ingredients are imported from countries across the world, including Southeast Asia, China, India, and West Asia.

Because it is often used for Buddhist rites, this is the type of incense most familiar to Japanese people. There are many kinds and lengths depending on the purpose, such as indoor incense and incense for Buddhist services. The longer the stick, the longer it burns. Because it can be easily snapped, you can break off only the length you want to use, making it convenient and easy to adjust the burning time. Since the burning surface area is uniform, the fragrance also spreads evenly.

To use stick incense, prepare an incense plate (or a small ceramic plate), an incense holder, and a lighter. Hold the lighter perpendicular to the floor when lighting it. Bring the tip of the incense close to the flame and light it. Once it catches fire, quickly lower the incense straight down to extinguish the flame. Another tip is to fan it with your hand and put the flame out at once with strong air pressure. Do not shake the incense to extinguish it, as this is dangerous. Then place the stick incense in the holder set on an incense plate large enough to catch the ash, and enjoy the fragrance.

This type is used by lighting the tip of the cone. Because of its cone shape, the burning surface area increases as it burns, and the fragrance gradually becomes stronger as well. This type is convenient when you want to enjoy fragrance in a short time. Since the ash remains in the cone shape, it does not scatter easily and is simple to clean up.

To use cone incense, prepare an incense plate (or a small ceramic plate), an incense holder, and a lighter. Bring the tip of the cone close to the lighter flame and light it. Once it catches fire, quickly lower the incense straight down to extinguish the flame. It is also fine to fan it with your hand and put the flame out at once with strong air pressure, but avoid shaking the incense itself to extinguish it. Once lit, place the incense on the holder set on the incense plate and enjoy the fragrance.

Because of its spiral shape, this type has a long burning time. That makes it ideal for large rooms or places with a lot of airflow. You do not need to use it all at once. If you want to put it out midway, you can simply break it or pinch the part you want to extinguish with a metal clip or something similar.

To use coil incense, prepare an incense plate (or a small ceramic plate), an incense holder, and a lighter. Light the tip of the coil with the lighter. Unlike stick or cone incense, the spiral shape means you need to be careful not to let the fire spread to a neighboring section when lighting it. Tilt the incense slightly and quickly lower it straight down to extinguish the flame. Place it on the holder set on the incense plate and enjoy it.

Inside the pouch is nioikō, a blend of finely chopped fragrance ingredients such as sandalwood, clove, spikenard, and borneol. It is a type of fragrant sachet used not only in dressers, but also slipped into kimono accessories or sleeves to transfer fragrance to clothing. For Western-style clothing, you can also enjoy it by placing it in a pocket or inside a pouch or other small accessory.
You can also make this type of scented sachet yourself. When the fragrance of your treasured sachet begins to fade, you can keep using it by simply replacing the incense inside. What you need are nioikō, a drawstring pouch, thin washi paper, tape, and a spoon. First, wrap an appropriate amount of nioikō in thin washi paper so it will not spill, and secure it with tape. Then place it inside the pouch, and it is done. It is very easy to make. Why not try making one with your favorite fragrance blend and your favorite pouch?

This is a pill-shaped incense made by adding honey or plum pulp to powdered fragrance ingredients, kneading them together, and allowing the mixture to mature. At tea gatherings, incense is burned to purify the space, and nerikō is mainly used for this purpose.
Nerikō is originally something you enjoy by combining various fragrance ingredients to create a scent to your own taste. One of the pleasures is how the fragrance changes depending on the blend. What you need are fragrance ingredients, honey, a mortar, and a pestle. Blend the ingredients to create your preferred scent and mix them together. Then add honey and knead well using the pestle. Roll the mixture by hand into suitable small balls, and it is complete. Some places also sell nerikō blending kits, so it is recommended to start with one of those.

There are mainly two ways to enjoy fragrant wood. One is monkō, in which you quietly appreciate the delicate nuances of the fragrance. The other is soradaki, which fills a room with scent. The key is to change the method depending on your purpose.

These are long-burning incense sticks measuring 33 cm to 73 cm. Those over 70 cm continue burning for around 6 hours. They are also used to measure time, with the duration of chanting sutras or practicing zazen sometimes defined as “until one stick of incense burns out.”

A powdered incense. It is used as an offering to the principal Buddhist image, and also applied to the body by practitioners to purify themselves and keep away impurity. It is also used when copying sutras.

A very fine powdered incense. It is used mixed with ingredients such as jinkō and sandalwood. It is mainly burned before Buddhist altars.

An incense made by finely chopping and blending fragrant woods and aromatic herbs. The basic blend consists of five ingredients: jinkō, sandalwood, clove, turmeric, and borneol.

The fragrance ingredients are first turned into powder and measured out. The ratios in these complex blends are a secret known only to the blender. Apparently, even people responsible for the other production steps do not know them. Next, tabu powder, which acts as a binder, is added to the fragrance ingredients and mixed. After mixing, the ingredients are sifted so they are blended evenly.

Next, the sifted ingredients are placed into a large kneading machine. While stirring, water and coloring are added, and the mixture is kneaded for 20 to 30 minutes until it becomes clay-like. The amount of water is adjusted according to the temperature and humidity, with the goal of achieving a softness similar to an earlobe. Because the amount is adjusted by feel at the fingertips, this step is handled by veteran craftspeople with highly refined skill and intuition.

The kneaded material is then placed into a hydraulic extruder and pushed out through small holes. About 70 soft, freshly formed incense sticks slowly emerge.

These are received on a board called a bonita, and both ends are trimmed using a bamboo spatula.
I was also given a special chance to try it myself, but the soft clay-like incense sticks overlapped and would not settle neatly onto the board. Then, when I trimmed both ends with the bamboo spatula, too much pressure bent the still-soft incense. It was difficult. We were told that this step, too, is handled by craftspeople who have spent years working in incense production. Seeing how each stage is entrusted to a specialist made me appreciate all the more how those beautiful, perfectly straight incense sticks are created.

Next, the soft incense sticks on the tray board are transferred to a long board called a tehonita.

They are then laid out tightly with no gaps and aligned carefully. We were told that if gaps are left here, the incense may end up bending. Any parts extending beyond the tehonita are trimmed off, and the sticks are moved onto drying boards.

Pre-drying is also done here, and as drying progresses, tiny gaps appear again, so the sticks are nudged together to close those gaps.

Until they are moved to the drying room for the next step, this aligning work is repeated 2 to 3 times a day.

The incense sticks are moved into a drying room and dried over 2 to 3 days while air is circulated with fans. The humidity and temperature in the drying room are kept constant, and they change depending on the season. When asked, “Why not dry them all at once efficiently with heat?” the answer was, “Doing so can cause the fragrance to dissipate and the incense sticks to bend.” It was a reminder of just how delicate incense making is.

Once fully dried, the incense sticks are bundled and packed. At this stage, any sticks that are bent are sorted out as non-standard, but they are used as fragrance samples in stores.

The incense is made using an almost unchanged traditional method. Tours are also available by reservation, giving visitors a close-up look at the traditional skills that craftspeople have preserved and passed down. For details, please contact Shoyeido.