Japanese Incense: Journey of Elegant Tradition

Incense: An Elegant Symbol of Japanese Culture

In Japan, there are three traditional arts that are highly respected, namely tea, flower and incense, collectively known as the three ways of Japan. Today, let’s talk about the incense. In short, incense is a cultural form of feeling through smelling fragrance. It is a simple as smelling the fragrance, and an art that tests people’s knowledge and feelings. Incense masters have to use their noses to distinguish various different kinds of fragrance, which requires a deep keen perception of fragrance.

Incense means a quiet, elegant inner state and lifestyle. Imagine lighting a stove of incense in a quiet room, the fragrance rises, and people are totally into this fragrance, which can make life more interesting. For many people, incense is also a way of practice. In the process of smelling and tasting fragrance, they cultivate their body and mind and feel life. It has also become a traditional culture that highlights the characteristics of the Japanese nation.

The Origin and Early Development of Incense

The history of Japanese Incense is quite long. In the ancient document “Nihonshoki”, there is a record of an incident that happened on Awaji Island in the third year of Suiko (that is, 595 AD). At that time, the islanders picked up a strange piece of wood on the beach. They didn’t know what it was, so they threw it into the stove as if it were ordinary wood and burned it. As a result, when the wood burned, bursts of fragrance wafted out. Everyone was stunned and thought that this must be a treasure from God, so they quickly presented it to the emperor. This is the earliest description of fragrant wood in ancient Japanese documents.

From the historical context, incense was introduced to Japan during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty with the eastward voyage of Monk Jianzhen. In the famous Japanese classic “The Tale of Genji”, there are many references to the incense appreciation meetings held by the nobles, also called “incense meetings” or “incense competitions”. The nobles imitated the appearance of “Tang people” and held these activities to compete whose incense was better. However, at that time, ordinary people did not use much incense in their lives, but the custom of burning incense in temples was very popular. Because the Japanese incense art has been closely related to Buddhist incense affairs since the beginning, Kyoto entered the Higashiyama culture era in the sixth century. With the support of General Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the incense art gradually had a foundation for development.

In the Nara period (710-794), people mainly used incense in Buddhist sacrifices. The method of burning incense was called burning incense or offering incense, which was to directly ignite one or several spices, and then everyone went to smell and taste the incense. Around the eighth century, the incense culture gradually entered the lives of royal nobles from the temple. In the Heian period, incense objects were also derived. Everyone enjoyed burning incense, smelling incense, and tasting incense. Incense culture began to be closely connected with people’s lives.

The Development And Maturity Of The Incense Art

In the Muromachi period (1338-1573), the incense art ushered in new changes. At that time, many powerful people loved incense and were obsessed with it. When they gathered together, they would light up the precious spices they collected one by one, and everyone would evaluate together to see which incense was better and which was worse. They also regarded distinguishing the origin and color of agarwood as a kind of fun. They set up classification standards for fragrant wood. From the taste, the fragrance was divided into five flavors: bitter, sweet, salty, pungent, and sour, from the origin and the quality and quantity of the resin contained in the fragrant wood, the fragrant wood was classified into six countries. At this time, the incense art had already taken shape.

In the Higashiyama cultural era of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the trend of incense art appreciation became stronger, and incense burning also changed from a simple smell to a special social cultural activity. Like tea ceremony and flower arrangement, it occupied an important position in people’s social life. Later, in the Kyoho period (1716-1736), the book “Incense Art Catalog” came out, which brought a great boost to the development of incense art, and incense art took a big step forward.

In the Edo period (1603-1867), the incense art had new ways to play. It is popular to combine several kinds of fragrant wood to express classical poetry, stories, legends and other literary contents, as well as the artistic conception of the four seasons. This is called group incense. Moreover, at this time, the utensils used in the art of incense became more and more refined and were made with particular care. At this stage, the art of incense was truly mature and entered the stage of perfection.

Modern Incense: Inheritance Of Culture And Spirit

As time passed, the art of incense became more and more popular in Japan and became a particularly elegant interest in people’s lives. The Japanese people continued to develop it and made it a unique art in Japan. The current art of incense has a very detailed and profound set of etiquette rules. Different schools and systems have also emerged. Up to now, there are more than 100 schools of Japanese incense.

The art of incense is not as simple as letting us smell the fragrance. More importantly, it has a kind of cultivation and training effect on people’s spirit. The Japanese believe that the key to the art of incense is not how much spices are used, but the “quality” and “virtue” of the incense. Huang Tingjian, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, once wrote a short note praising fragrant wood. Later, after being promoted by Ikkyu, it was widely circulated in the Japanese incense circle and was called “Ten Virtues of Incense”. These “Ten Virtues” include being able to touch ghosts and gods, purifying the body and mind, removing filth, being able to wake up sleep, making friends in silence, taking a break from busyness, not being tired of more, being satisfied with less, being immortal after a long time, and being able to use it often without obstacles. From these “Ten Virtues”, it can be seen that China and Japan have a kinship in the incense culture, which also explains why everyone likes fragrant wood so much.

In modern Japan, incense is still a cultural activity that many people love. Whether in traditional tea rooms, elegant rooms, or in some cultural exhibitions and social occasions, you can see the figure of incense. People learn incense, understand the knowledge of spices, and master the etiquette of smelling incense. In this process, they feel the charm of traditional culture and make their hearts calm and nourished. Moreover, incense has also become a business card for Japan’s foreign cultural exchanges. Many foreign tourists who come to Japan will also be invited to experience incense and feel this elegant charm from the East.

Japanese Incense Burners and Japanese Incense Holders: Experience Japanese Incense in Cigarettes

Incense burners and incense holders are closely connected to incense. They are like the pearls on the crown of incense culture, carrying the dual value of practicality and art.

Japanese incense burners are made of rich and diverse materials, showing the ingenuity of craftsmen. Ceramic incense burners are classics. For example, the Arita yaki incense burner uses delicate white porcelain as the base and uses underglaze color technology to paint exquisite cherry blossom patterns. After firing, the colors are bright and moving. When burning incense, the curling green smoke and the flowers on the porcelain complement each other, showing the elegance of Japanese style. Among the metal incense burners, the copper incense burner is simple and heavy. Some of them are cast by the lost wax method. The body of the incense burner is engraved with traditional patterns such as pine and crane longevity. The lines are smooth and full of three-dimensional sense. Every detail shows the precipitation of years. Wooden incense burners are mostly made of natural agarwood or cypress, retaining the original texture and fragrance of the wood. After simple polishing, they present a simple and natural beauty. When placed indoors, they add a warm and peaceful atmosphere to the space.

Although the incense holder is small, it also contains unique charm. Ceramic incense holders are often paired with incense burners of the same series. They have rich shapes, such as lotus-shaped ones, with layers of petals stretched out, and delicate textures that resemble real petal veins. When incense is placed on them, it is like the fragrance hidden in the flowers, with a far-reaching artistic conception; there are also thin ceramic incense holders inspired by Japanese paper, which are light and translucent, with a warm texture, showing exquisiteness and elegance. Metal incense holders win with their durability and exquisite craftsmanship. The surface of silver incense holders often uses engraving technology to create complex and gorgeous patterns, such as the auspicious swastika pattern and cloud pattern, which are not only practical, but also a beautiful work of art. Wooden incense holders are mostly made of cypress, beech, etc., which are carefully polished and carved. Some are engraved with simple geometric patterns, while others retain the natural shape of the wood and are only slightly modified in key parts, presenting a simple yet charming style.

Incense burners and incense holders are not only utensils for carrying spices, but also concrete manifestations of Japanese incense culture. They blend with incense and inherit the cultural heritage of Japan for thousands of years. In the curling smoke, they continue to exude charming artistic charm, allowing everyone who comes into contact with incense to touch the delicate texture of Japanese traditional culture through them.

Japanese incense is like a river that has flowed for thousands of years. From its ancient origins, it has gone through the development and changes of various eras and has flowed to the modern era. It carries Japan’s history, culture and people’s pursuit of a better life. In the future, it will continue to exude its unique charm.