IncenseInTheWind The Incense Hunter: Shoyeido

Thursday, 30 January 2025

Shoyeido

Shoyeido was officially established in Kyoto, Japan in 1945 by the Hata family, though traces the foundation of the business back to 1705, and as such is one of the oldest incense companies in the world. They have several stores across Japan, and one in America - in Boulder, Colorado. They have a turnover of approx £22 million, which is likely to net them a profit of around £2 million a year. Shoyeido has a good reputation among incense enthusiasts, including in American.

The 1705 date, as is typical of Japanese incense houses which place a lot of value on age and heritage, is a little vague as regards incense making. What we know is that in that year, Moriyoshi Rokuzaemon Hata opened up a shop he called Sasaya. In Edo‑period Kyoto, a shop name ending in ya (屋) indicated a merchant house specialising in a particular commodity. Sasa (笹) means bamboo, so Sasaya (笹屋) means bamboo shop - suggesting natural ingredients, which could be incense material. It's not until Moriyoshi's grandson, Rokubeu Moritsure Hata, approximately 50-60 years later (the exact date is not given, but would likely be 1755-1765), brings some of the incense making skills he has learned at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto to the shop, turns it into a workshop, renames it as Shoyeido (Pine Prosperity Workshop), that we are on more certain ground that the Hata family are now likely to be making incense, not just selling incense material.

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