Baieido are a well known Japanese incense producer, though the only information I can find about them is sales literature. Baieido make statements about themselves which is then copied across the internet by various traders and shops. They trace their history back to Kakuuemon Yamatoya, a wholesaler of medicinal herbs in Sakai, who named himself "Jinkoya Sakubei" (which means agarwood trader) in 1657. As such, Baieido is commercially promoted as one of the longest established incense makers in Japan. The reality of the claim is difficult to judge. When I looked into the claim by Nippon Kodo that they were founded in 1575, it turned out that the company was founded in 1965, and claimed the 1575 date from an incense shop that they later bought and took over - so, until they bought the Kojo shop, their history only went back to 1965 (or 1883, if you count the company they split away from), but by buying the older shop, they suddenly acquired a longer history. Phooey.
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| The Kaiunko box |
Bought off eBay as a trial pack for £2.79, this is available as a pack of 50 sticks from eBay for £19.34, from Zen Minded in the UK for £16, from Simply Essential in the UK for £12, from Japanese Incense in the US for $20 (approx £15), and from Baieido's store in Japan for 1,100 Yen (approx £5.50). The name Kaiunko (usually shown in the US as Kai Un Koh) means Good Fortune or Good Luck. The sticks are of a square extrusion rather than the usual round. The scent on the stick is fascinating - it's like an exotic savoury spice, with some sweetness, and a hint of floral. The ingredients are Vietnamese agarwood, sandalwood, Borneo camphor (popular in Chinese medicine and incense), cassia (or Chinese cinnamon - cinnamon being a popular ingredient in Japanese incense), and clove. I can't say I can pick up those ingredients individually - though having been made away of them I would say it is the spices I most recognise. The individual ingredients form an attractive fragrance accord. It is a scent I would like to sprinkle on a rice pudding.
From what I read, this is one of Baieido's most popular incenses, and Baieido say they have been selling it for over 100 years. It feels surprisingly modern, but then I feel that way about some ancient Chinese incense recipes, such as Goose Pear. The use of fruits and spices in incense is popular right now, which is probably why it feels modern - "what goes around comes around": what happened in the past will happen again in the future.
The scent on the burn is gentle with more of an accent on burning wood than on the spice. I really prefer the scent on the stick - the wood scent I find a little ordinary and more akin to scorching paper than to incense. But then I'm not a fan of using wood powder in incense that is burned. I am starting to accept what incense enthusiasts have been saying to me for a while now, that fragrant woods are best experienced when the woods are warmed rather than burned. That makes perfect sense to me.
Making sure the incense is a distance away from me so I don't get distracted by the burning woods, and being patient, I do get the spices, gently underscored by a slightly muddy and murky wood scent, and it's likable, but not something that is exciting or delighting me. It's each to their own with incense, but at the moment, after a few burns, I feel the wood element here is intruding on the spices and the Borneo camphor, which were offering me something interesting. Those who like burning wood type incense may like this, but from someone who doesn't, I feel the woods are spoiling the potential of this otherwise decent little incense.
From what I read, this is one of Baieido's most popular incenses, and Baieido say they have been selling it for over 100 years. It feels surprisingly modern, but then I feel that way about some ancient Chinese incense recipes, such as Goose Pear. The use of fruits and spices in incense is popular right now, which is probably why it feels modern - "what goes around comes around": what happened in the past will happen again in the future.
The scent on the burn is gentle with more of an accent on burning wood than on the spice. I really prefer the scent on the stick - the wood scent I find a little ordinary and more akin to scorching paper than to incense. But then I'm not a fan of using wood powder in incense that is burned. I am starting to accept what incense enthusiasts have been saying to me for a while now, that fragrant woods are best experienced when the woods are warmed rather than burned. That makes perfect sense to me.
Making sure the incense is a distance away from me so I don't get distracted by the burning woods, and being patient, I do get the spices, gently underscored by a slightly muddy and murky wood scent, and it's likable, but not something that is exciting or delighting me. It's each to their own with incense, but at the moment, after a few burns, I feel the wood element here is intruding on the spices and the Borneo camphor, which were offering me something interesting. Those who like burning wood type incense may like this, but from someone who doesn't, I feel the woods are spoiling the potential of this otherwise decent little incense.
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