Nippon Kodo Oedo-Koh Tokyo Incense - Pine Tree

Nippon Kodo's devotion to making fine incense follows a long and honored tradition that started more than 400 years ago and can be traced back to Jyuemon Takai, better known as Koju, a skilled artisan in the art and the principal provider of precious rare and exquisite aromas to the Emperor of Japan and his Court.

It is traditionally believed that the kami (deities) dwell in evergreen trees. The word matsu means both "pine" and "wait" (for the deity to descend), and the pine is part of the felicitous trio of pine, bamboo, and plum tree, and the auspicious pairing of crane and pine. Pine decorations are displayed at New Year's and a monumental pine tree is painted on the backdrop of the Noh stage - all expressing the pine's association with luck and longevity. In ukiyo-e woodcuts, boldy rendered pines standing in the midst of Edo-era people bustling to and fro are a classic motif.

Format:

No bamboo core
Number of sticks per pack: 60
Burn Time approx. 12 min
Includes a tin incense stick holder 

Company history:

Nippon Kodo's devotion to making fine incense follows a long and honored tradition that started more than 400 years ago and can be traced back to Jyuemon Takai, better known as Koju, a skilled artisan in the art and the principal provider of precious rare and exquisite aromas to the Emperor of Japan and his Court. Many of those pleasing and enduring high-quality incense fragrances, which the company continues to produce to this day, are based on the original formulas created by Koju and later by Yujiro Kito, who was hailed as the genius of fragrance during the Meiji restoration period in the 19th century - around the time that Japan opened its doors to the world and began to modernize itself.

Brought to Japan in the eighth century by Buddhist monks, who used the mystical aromas in their religious ceremonies, "Koh", as incense is called in Japanese, passed into the realm of the aristocracy centuries later as a source of amusement and enlightenment as they "listened to the fragrance" in their parlor games. It wasn't until the 14th century in the Muromachi Era that incense reached the height of its popularity with the upper and middle classes of Japanese society, who used it as a mark of distinction and sophistication and to dispel unpleasant odors. It was around this time that samurai warriors began perfuming their helmets and armor with incense before going into battle as they prepared to meet their fate.

Now, incense promises to become even more acceptable and desirable as a new dimension in gracious living that opens up a whole new world of spiritual awareness and understanding. As such, Nippon Kodo's mission is to serve the very best that the world of incense has to offer while at the same time expanding the breadth of incense knowledge through enlightening information dissemination.

Their 5 commitments to quality include:

1. closely guarded incense-making skills
2. the skills of incense craftspeople
3. carefully selected materials
4. passing on incense culture
5. the highest level of safety (Nippon Kodo sets the highest saftey standards in the world of incense making by using standardized measurement technology from Denmark that collects constituents in the air after incense is burned for quality control analysis)

Learn more by visiting: http://www.nipponkodostore.com/