AWAJI ENCENS｜INCENCE

Brand

Dignity in incense

Hyogo Incense Coop

• 1972
• Incense
• Taro Taniguchi

History

The island where Japan's first fragrant wood drifted ashore.

The Hyogo Incense Co-operative is made up of 15 manufacturing businesses on the Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture.

Awaji Island, located in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, is known for its mild climate and thriving agriculture and fishing industry, but did you know that it is also known as the island of fragrance and has the highest share of incense production?

The history of fragrance in Japan dates back to 595AD.

In the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), said to be the oldest book in Japan, it is written that "an aromatic wood drifted ashore on the coast of Awaji Island and when the islanders burned it in their hearths, the fragrance wafted far and wide, so they wondered why and presented it to the Imperial Court".

Later, during the Edo period, Eiura on Awaji Island was a port town with many shipping agents, but in winter the strong westerly winds and rough seas closed the port, forcing the sailors to migrate to work. To help the islanders, who were struggling to make ends meet, they turned their attention to incense production.

The seasonal winds blowing from the sea were ideal for drying incense sticks.

Tanaka Tatsuzo, a small-time goods dealer, learnt the incense-making techniques that were then flourishing in Sakai, Senshu, and brought skilled workers to the island to start incense production.

Since then, it has taken root as a cottage industry in the winter when work is scarce, and now more than a quarter of the islanders are involved in some kind of work.

Characteristic

A scent meister called KOSHI

Incense originated in ancient India, where it was initially burnt for ritual and medical purposes.

It was introduced to Japan from China along with Buddhism, but the style of incense sticks, in which the wood is shaved, kneaded into a stick shape and dried, and then burned little by little, is a uniquely Japanese idea.

The role of incense in Buddhism is to purify the body and mind through the use of the fragrance and smoke, and to express gratitude by conversing with the Buddha and ancestors through the smoke.

The custom of placing a "small temple" -a Buddhist altar- in the home and joining hands with it every day spread to the general population, and incense sticks also developed significantly.

Awaji Island, known for the story of the birth of the nation in Japanese mythology, is a sacred place with many ancient shrines with a long history, including Izanagi Shrine.

One of these, Kareki Shrine, has a tradition that the first fragrant tree in Japan drifted ashore here and is enshrined as a sacred object.

Awaji Island is the only place in Japan where there are 15 ‘Koshi’ (perfume masters), or fragrance masters.

Each company has its own unique techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation, and they work hard to create unique fragrances through friendly competition.

Incense sticks from Awaji Island are made using sandalwood, sandalwood and other perfumes as the base, with familiar essences such as yuzu, cinnamon and coffee added.

For Customers

Incense sticks for a moment of peace and tranquillity

Incense sticks today are widely used not only for Buddhist rituals, but also as a fragrance for the mind, body and space.

As the human sense of smell has a tendency to quickly become accustomed, it is said that alternating between about three different scents stimulates the brain and produces a variety of effects.

First of all, we would like you to find a fragrance you like and use several different scents depending on your physical condition and the occasion.

KOSHI continues to take on new challenges, pursuing fragrances that accentuate the casual, everyday life, while continuing the tradition of incense cultivated over many years.

This time, we wanted to make Awaji Island's incense sticks known to people overseas, so we developed products for overseas markets through a process of trial and error.

Each is named after a common European name, creating a new world view of the person's life story in the fragrance.

We hope that people all over the world can enjoy a restful moment with these incense sticks.