Incense ceremony and culture

Incense culture was introduced to Japan with Buddhism through “incenses for prayers”. The idea of “listening” to the fragrance gave rise to the word and act of 'Monkoh' (literally, listening to what fragrances are telling you). Around end of the Muromachi period (1338-1573), after about 1500 years since their introduction, the act of using incenses started to develop into in art form called Kodo, or incense-smelling ceremony. The basics of the art, which have been passed on until present day, were formed in the Edo period (1603-1867).

Incense ceremony and culture

As its formalities came to be developed and shaped, Kodo started to be acknowledged as one of the "geido", refined arts that are supposed to be performed following certain rules and manners. In this respect, Japanese incense or koh is somewhat different from perfume in western countries. No longer an innocent pastime, Kodo prevailed beyond the samurai and court class. As intellectual people such as writers, artists, affluent merchants and landowners started to adopt its formalities, incense exerted a great influence on calligraphy, literature and tea ceremony, occupying a precious position as an intangible and spiritual asset of the time.

Incense ceremony and culture

Koju’s incense ceremony

Koju’s incense ceremony

We would like to announce an experience event geared towards people who would like to try Kodo (incense ceremony).

Click here to apply for the Kodo experience

Koju’s incense ceremony

Kodo (incense ceremony) is one of Japan's three major arts of refinement.
"Experience the highlights of 1500 years of Japanese incense culture and 500 years of incense ceremony in about 90 minutes."
Based on "The Tale of Genji" written in the Heian period, "Genji-kō" is a play on distinguishing between five rare fragrant woods.
It is an elegant game loved by court nobles who listen to the scents from an Incense holder (ceramic cup to hold the wood) in turn and apply fragrant wood to it. Even first-timers can enjoy it.
Enjoy a quiet moment to reflect on Japan's fragrance culture and yourself in Ginza, Tokyo.

Lecturer
Gyosetsu MARUYAMA ("Oie" style incense master)
Venue
Nippon Kodo Co., Ltd., "akatsuki" room on the 3rd floor 4-9-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Date & Time
14:00-15:30 on 2nd and 4th Friday of every month (held even on holidays)
We will start on time, so please arrive 10 minutes early.
Price
¥11,000 per person (tax included) ※English translation available
How to Apply
https://kojuexperience.peatix.com/events
Capacity
12 people at maximum
Content
Incense Ceremony “Genji-kō” experience (about 90 minutes)
Experience "Genji-kō" (a masterpiece based on "The Tale of Genji", the world's oldest full-length novel) which is considered to be the historical representative among approximately 700 types of "kumikō" (the way to enjoy literature and seasons through incense) in KODO.
Even first-timers can enjoy this intelligent and elegant game of identifying scents.
Note
Note Please refrain from using perfume etc and age has to be over 12 years old.

Incense ceremony (Kodo)

Warming a aromatic wood (considered a gift from the heavens) without burning it, and listening to the subtle fragrance with your heart is the basics of "Monkoh". It is also called Icchuugiki, or Kanshoukoh (fragrance appreciation). The concept of listening to aromatic wood eventually developed into a form of guessing game. People also began to use fragrances as a way to enhance their enjoyment of literature, or the seasons. This act has come to be called "Kumikoh".

  • 1.Preparing Kodo tools 1.Preparing Kodo toolsJishiki and uchishiki are spread in front of the Incense ceremony host, and Kodo tools are arranged.
    (They vary depend on the Kumikoh)
  • 2.A piece of aromatic wood gets put into a Incense burner 2.A piece of aromatic wood gets put into an Incense holderPutting a piece of aromatic wood on ginyou on top of an Incense holder. The ceremony host has already finished “haidemae”, or preparing the holder.
  • 3.Incense burners are passed to ceremony guests 3.Incense holder is passed to ceremony guestsIncense holder gets passed from the ceremony host to guests. (The photo is of Oie School)
  • 4.Listen to the fragrance from a Incense burner 4.Listen to the fragrance from an Incense holderAn Incense holder is held horizontally on the left palm. Cover the fragrance with the right hand for a moment, then listen to it as if you were taking a deep breath. Repeat three times, then pass it on to the next person.
  • 5.Straighten the ash surface of the cone 5.Write down your answers After all incense burners have been passed down, write down your answers and hand them in according to the rules. (Answering methods vary with each "Kumikoh").
  • 6.Put a fragrant wood chip on the top plate 6.The announcement of the guessing-game answersA note-taker called Shippitsu (writer) sits next to the host writes down all the results of the ceremony on a piece of high-quality Japanese paper. It is given to the person who answered correctly.
Rikkoku (Six countries)

About Kumikoh

Occasions or meetings where Monkoh or Kumikoh are held are called "Koseki" or "Kokai". In a standard Kokai, Kumikoh that correspond to the season are chosen, and ceremonies are held. Hundreds of Kumikoh were made over the past 500 years, and they have been passed on like scripts to be used in Koseki. In Koseki, the Komoto, or ceremony host shows his skills and passes Incense burners to each guest in turn. Guests listen to one incense burner at a time, and provide their answers according to the rules of that particular Kumikoh. There are two major schools: Oie School, which is called the Kodo of aristocrats, and Shino School, which is called the Kodo of warriors.

Rikkoku (Six countries)

  • Rikkoku (Six countries)The aromatic woods that are used in Kodo are classified into six types, called "Six countries". Aromatic woods selected by Kodo masters are given names of places that recall their origin such as Kyara, Rakoku, Manaban, Manaka, Sasora and Sumotara (they are not necessarily the same as where these trees are actually produced today).
  • Gomi (5 flavors)It is hard to express the fragrance of aromatic woods using words, so people in the old days used flavors as clues instead to tell fragrances apart. Sweetness, sourness, spiciness, bitterness and saltiness are called the 5 incense flavors.

Rikkoku

Kyara
Kyara The best quality Jinkoh which is produced in a very limited area in Vietnam. It is also called Kinankoh or Kyanankoh.
Rakoku
Rakoku The name of a group of Jinkoh produced in modern day Thailand.
Manaban
Manaban In many cases, it is mainly Jinkoh produced in Vietnam, but there are a number of theories.
Manaka
Manaka The name of a group of aromatic woods introduced to Japan via Malacca.
Sasora
Sasora Besides names deriving from places, there are many theories. In Oie school, sandalwood is used as Sasora instead of Jinkoh.
Sumotara
Sumotara Thought to be a group of Jinkoh produced in Sumatra Island.

Click here to apply for the Kodo experience

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