The way of perfume
Incense in Far East

from religion to everyday life

A scented smoke wraps around Far Eastern temples, the aroma of incense. Smoke has been always the link between human beings and divinity, the way from life on earth to heavenly life. Way of perfume kōdō (香道) is the name of the art of incense knowledge in Japan and incense culture is deep-rooted in Korea and China as well. Incense Route was the road of incense trade from China and South East Asia to Middle East and Europe during and after Roman Empire. It was contemporary to Silk Road. Jinkō (沈香) “incense that sinks in water” was and is also nowadays the most appreciated of precious aromatic resins from which incenses derivate. Jinkō is the resin of agarwood three native to South East Asia and Vietnam above all. Kyara (伽羅) is another type of agarwood resin even more rare and precious. When agarwood is attacked by mould it produces perfumed resin as a defence. Scent is plant’s threat against illness and pain and incense was always coupled with purification and recovery and sometimes it was used for therapeutic purposes.
Incense is very important for Buddhism and the faithful link prayers at temple and incenses lighting together. Words of prayers are taken to divinity by smoke of incense. Sticks are the most common incenses’ shape together with coils which can burn more time as in famous Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong in which the ceiling is completely covered in incense coils. An incense burner of various dimensions and shapes is generally placed in front of the temple entrance.
Incense culture has developed in different typologies in the several Far East countries. In Korea incense permitted the creation of lots of incense burners which are authentic carved masterpieces made of bronze or of aqua green porcelain cheongja (청자). One of the well-known symbols of Korean art is the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje which dates back to the sixth century during Baekjie Kingdom (18 BC – 660 AD) and which is now housed at the Buyeo National Museum as 287th National Treasure of Korea. Incense burner is not blossoming yet lotus flower-shaped and its very rich ornamentation ends with the phoenix on the top. Incense burner’s symbolism joins together Buddhist and Taoist elements. Korean artists mould porcelain incense burners which take the various shapes of nature and lots of glazed ceramics of this kind made during Goryeo period (918 - 1392) are held at National Museum of Korea. The most famous of which are a lion-shaped incense burner from the mouth of which incense smoke exits and a flower-shaped another one on which an incense containing open-work sphere made using tugak technique (투각) is based which is the 95th National Treasure of Korea.
Incense culture spreads through Far East till Japan during sixth century together with Buddhism diffusion. Legend before history: in 3rd year of Empress Suiko (595) sea brought to Awaji-shima island beach in Central Japan a drift piece of wood which if put near fire filled air in divine fragrance. History after legend: in Shōsōin treasure house of Tōdai-ji at Nara ranjatai is held. Ranjatai is a very precious piece of jinkō which Empress Komyo wife of Emperor Shomu gave as gift to Tōdai-ji in 756 when her husband died. Ranjatai was probably brought to Japan from China by Emperor Shomu and its origin is maybe from Vietnam or Laos. Only three well-known historical figures were allowed to get tiny fragments of the very precious jinkō of Tōdai-ji i.e. shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Tokugawa Ieyasu and daimyō Oda Nobunaga.
Incense culture in Japan during Heian period (794 - 1185) refines itself and becomes an independent art taught by masters. Two incense games kumikō and genjikō spread through upper class: they consist in guessing and linking the right perfume to right incense name. Genjikō is named after chapters of Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu.
In Muromachi period (1336 - 1573) incense gets completely from religious to personal field and it becomes a symbol of authority and opulence. Price of some kinds of jinkō incense could even exceed that of gold and for this reason incense was itself a symbol of power. One more legend: once upon a time there was a daimyō such influential and rich that he could burn more than half a kilo of very pure jinkō incense at once to make people smell his power’s scent through all the country. From legend to reality: samurai used to perfume profoundly their helmets with incense before the battle to assign more prestige to themselves. In case of being beaten by adversary a fine fragrance would come from their cut head.
Incense is also nowadays a very important element of Far East culture not only in temples but in houses as well, non only in religion but in every day life. Mainichi Kō (毎日香) “Every day incense” is in fact the name of the best-seller incense in Japan and in the world produced by Japanese company Nippon Kodo established in 1965 (www.nipponkodo.com). Nippon Kodo produces incenses for temples too and scents are very various. Incense manufacturing is inspired by Momoyama period (1568 – 1603) classical workmanship and links together modernity and tradition. Since 2005 the most important incense manufacturing company in Korea called Manbokhyang Dang is part of the Nippon Kodo group (www.mbhd.co.kr): its mission is to allow Korean people to rediscover aesthetic and religious importance of incense in nowadays Korea which very often - like the other Far Eastern countries – faces West forgetting the perfume of its own culture.

(Images courtesy of Nippon Kodo

www.nipponkodo.com)

Floriano Terrano