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| Second review - scroll down for earlier |
It's often been noted that Japanese incenses are so gentle that you need to pay attention. I tend to only do that when I'm reviewing an incense, and even then only in patches, because I'm usually doing something else at the same time. I don't sit down for hours during the day, just sniffing incense. I'll be doing my tax return, writing an email, chatting on a forum, researching a holiday - you know, the everyday stuff we all do. Meanwhile the incense will be burning, and now and then I'll note how it smells, how that aroma develops, and the impact it is having on me. I may move the incense around in the room, or place it in another room, or take it Chrissie and/or Phocea, or whoever is in the house to get another opinion if there's something about the incense that is different or interesting or difficult. But, on the whole, I will not spend the 30 to 50 minutes of a standard Indian incense just contemplating the fragrance. With these short, thin Japanese sticks that have a gentle scent, they don't make a huge impression on a room, and they don't last long, so one either has to burn a load of sticks at the same time, or place them close and get into a state of Zen for a short period.
I like focusing attention on paintings, poetry, music, sculpture, etc. So I'm cool with getting into a calm, attentive state. Exploring scent - the aromas of wine, beer, perfumes, oils, cider, etc, is something I love doing. I love scent. I am fascinated by scent. So, I enjoy paying attention to incense, and with such short, thin sticks, it is only a short period that I need to spend on them. However, if a scent is a little soft, and doesn't offer up much, then my attention may wander, and then - whoosh - the incense has burned out, and I haven't really noticed what was happening. I don't find that experience satisfying. I often find myself wishing that Japanese incense offered itself up a little more.
Additionally, incense smoke is toxic, not matter how natural the ingredients, so it should not be inhaled. What should be inhaled is the scent it leaves in the air, rather than the smoke itself. So keeping the burning incense at a distance helps. With Japanese incense I find that if I keep it on the table behind me, I really get very little scent. So it generally has to be kept on the desk in front of me. And as a consequence I tend to inhale the smoke, even though I'd rather not. I don't find that situation satisfying. It happens with some Indian incense as well - particularly crude, cheap Flora style incense, such as Pushkar incense. But for the opposite reason. There's too much smoke, so even if placing the sticks in another room, the smoke will come and find me.
Anyway. That ramble is to say that historically I have had problems with burning Japanese incense, and can find the experience more frustrating and unhealthy than enjoyable and uplifting. And such is happening here. I was just getting into the scent, when it was over. So I had to burn the last stick to get back to where I was.
The initial impression is of smouldering sandalwood with some mild accompanying perfume. It's difficult to pin that perfume down, and there's not much to work on. Generally it's not a relaxing, fun, interesting, or enjoyable experience because there's so little to work with, and there's the awareness that the stick is burning down. I try to get into a state of Zen, but conditions are working against me. There's something possibly floral, some warmth, faint dirt, chocolate, coriander, curry. OK, I'm getting into this now, and relaxing a bit. It's an attractive scent. Weak, subtle, a little evasive, and not especially rewarding when I get there. But it's OK.
I like focusing attention on paintings, poetry, music, sculpture, etc. So I'm cool with getting into a calm, attentive state. Exploring scent - the aromas of wine, beer, perfumes, oils, cider, etc, is something I love doing. I love scent. I am fascinated by scent. So, I enjoy paying attention to incense, and with such short, thin sticks, it is only a short period that I need to spend on them. However, if a scent is a little soft, and doesn't offer up much, then my attention may wander, and then - whoosh - the incense has burned out, and I haven't really noticed what was happening. I don't find that experience satisfying. I often find myself wishing that Japanese incense offered itself up a little more.
Additionally, incense smoke is toxic, not matter how natural the ingredients, so it should not be inhaled. What should be inhaled is the scent it leaves in the air, rather than the smoke itself. So keeping the burning incense at a distance helps. With Japanese incense I find that if I keep it on the table behind me, I really get very little scent. So it generally has to be kept on the desk in front of me. And as a consequence I tend to inhale the smoke, even though I'd rather not. I don't find that situation satisfying. It happens with some Indian incense as well - particularly crude, cheap Flora style incense, such as Pushkar incense. But for the opposite reason. There's too much smoke, so even if placing the sticks in another room, the smoke will come and find me.
Anyway. That ramble is to say that historically I have had problems with burning Japanese incense, and can find the experience more frustrating and unhealthy than enjoyable and uplifting. And such is happening here. I was just getting into the scent, when it was over. So I had to burn the last stick to get back to where I was.
The initial impression is of smouldering sandalwood with some mild accompanying perfume. It's difficult to pin that perfume down, and there's not much to work on. Generally it's not a relaxing, fun, interesting, or enjoyable experience because there's so little to work with, and there's the awareness that the stick is burning down. I try to get into a state of Zen, but conditions are working against me. There's something possibly floral, some warmth, faint dirt, chocolate, coriander, curry. OK, I'm getting into this now, and relaxing a bit. It's an attractive scent. Weak, subtle, a little evasive, and not especially rewarding when I get there. But it's OK.
Date: Jan 2025 Score: 26
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| First review |
This is a gift from Samsa Spoon, who has the Plume of Smoke blog. Haku-un, translated as White Cloud, contains agarwood, benzoin, and sandalwood, though it is mainly the sandalwood that I smell, and a rather basic sandalwood. There is a touch of general burning, some earthy warmth that I find attractive and comforting, like an old and slightly rough wool blanket. I was a little dismissive at first, but I grew to like it more as time went by. It's a quirky little incense, at times smelling of boiling cabbage, but not in a horrid way, more like a homely and reassuring way.
It's not a heavenly or delightful incense, but as the intention is modest - this is aimed to be an everyday incense for "casual enjoyment", I think this achieves that purpose. The sticks are thin and soon gone - I found I appreciated the incense more when I burned four sticks at the same time, so there was more presence to the scent, and some of the depth and some of the subtleties and some of the spice could be experienced, but even then it was soon gone. There are a number of places where this is sold, but none of them offer this at what I would consider a reasonable price for what is a modest incense. The most common form is a 35 stick bundle, which is sold on the Shoyeido site in the US for $12.50; at ZenMinded for $17; at Fragrancia for £14.95; at Amazon for £13.95; at Vectis Karma for £14.95; at Sacred By Design (Australia) for $18.95, etc. The best price I found is from Tokyo-Market in France for €9.32.
I am curious enough to keep exploring Japanese incense and to keep an open mind, but the price does put me off, especially when what I have experienced so far has been fairly modest. Bakhoor is also not a cheap incense, but with bakhoor the experience is so sublime that it is clear that the money is worth it. And this experience with such a meagre amount of agarwood that it cannot reasonably be fully experienced amid the sandalwood and spice, has just reminded me of how wonderful agarwood can be when used in bakhoor, and that I should dig out the bakhoor I ordered some time back, but have not yet burned.
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