Shorindo Chahana / Chabana - Tea Flower / Camellia

Shorindo is based on Awaji Island, which has 14 incense makers, and has a claim to make 70% of Japan's incense. Incense making on the island started in 1850 when an islander, Tatsuzo Tanaka, copied incense production methods from the then capital of Japanese incense making, Sakai, and brought them to Awaji, where the nishi-kaze (west wind) dried the incense, and its port enabled the incense to be easily traded around Japan. The legend of agarwood washing ashore in Japan in 595 places the beach on Awaji Island, which sounds like colourful marketing by the local incense makers. Though there are claims that the Awaji incense makers were the first to make smoke-less incense, I've not found reliable evidence of that, though the island is well known for its daily incense and low-smoke incense, which is popular with modern Japanese because homes tend to be small with closed windows, so there is a preference for mild and low smoke incense.  Awaji is also known for "blending western perfumes with the eastern cultural use of incense woods", which means they use modern aroma chemicals. 

Shorino is popular in Japan for this particular incense - Chahana (or Chabana - it is translated both ways). The word translates as "Tea Flower", though "Camellia" is sometimes used as that is a tea flower. Camellia (or "tea flower") does not produce a significant scent, so modern aroma chemicals are used instead. Shorino use charcoal and makko dust which is blended into a paste with a camellia aroma chemical, and then dried in the nishi-kaze wind. 

  

茶花線香 - Cha-hana - Tea Flower

When burned this produces a soft and delicate floral aroma, mingled with some rustic wood and charcoal notes. Modestly pleasant room freshener. Though the dispersal and retention is barely significant, there is a place for such delicate floral everyday incenses. Not really my thing, but the story of Awaji Island is interesting, and this is a popular incense in Japan, so worth hunting down. 

Available in several places - AtmosphereIncense in Singapore who ship worldwide, Wa-No-Kaori  based in Japan who ship worldwide, and from Shi on eBay in the UK, who also sells a trial pack. 

Date: Jun 2026  Score: 26/50

***

Japanese incense

   

Reviewed in USA - 2008

Baieido - World's Second Oldest Incense House

 

Baieido (USA website) are a well known Japanese incense producer, who promote themselves skilfully. 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. Contrary to a viable alternative claim (Nippon Kodo's claim to a 1575 founding date is bogus - they were founded in 1965, and later bought an incense shop with a date going back to 1575, which they then claimed as their own), Baieido is the world's second oldest continuous use incense house. 

Reviews

Baieido Tokusen Kobunboku
May 2025 - Score: 35/50

Baieido Kaiunko (Kai Un Koh)
May 2025 - Score: 30/50

Baieido Kobunboku Regular - Plum Blossom
Feb 2023 -Score: 29/50↓↓

Reviews: 3

Top score: 35

Bottom score: 29

Average: 31/50

***

Japanese incense

Incense around the world

The Best Incense Makers

Kameyama Flower Aroma - Violet

Kameyama is a popular scented candle company founded by a carpenter in 1927 in the Japanese city of Kameyama, which has a reputation for candle making.  They expanded into incense making in 1987, and also make copies of popular perfumes such as Christian Dior and Ralph Lauren. Flower Aroma (Hanafuzei)  is their well established and popular flagship range of low cost and low smoke floral daily incense. They have a premier floral range called Flowers of the Month or Moon Flower (Tsuki no Hana). My samples came from eBay seller Shi, who sells an impressive range of Japanese incense in full box and sample sizes.

山花ふぜい 紫羅蘭線香

There is a faint aroma on the stick - soap and young shallots. There is a light and delicate smoke when burned; though, as the stick is very thin, it can barely be seen - which is possibly why it qualifies as "low smoke". The scent is extremely delicate, and is best burned very near. It is a floral scent inclining toward violets - though this is a delicate, neutral violet, without the confectionary sweetness normally associated with the fragrance. There is a dark, woody, and smoky edge to it, which gives it a pleasing depth. The lack of resonance in the scent is my main issue. If I'm not paying attention, then I am not aware of it. Which is not my notion of an everyday incense; though with several sticks burning at different locations in the room or around the house, then hints of delicate violet scent will discreetly waft around you, being softly noticed at random moments. I expect one of the important meanings of "daily incense" in Japan is that it is low cost, and at £15 for 100g on UK eBay, and roughly the same price on the international eBay, this is excellent value, and several sticks can be burned at the same time to create a subtle and delicate floral everyday room freshener. 

Date: Jun 2026  Score: 32/50

***

Japanese incense

   

Violet incenses

The Scent of Violets

Violets have a sweet gentle scent that powers the evocative flavour of Parma Violets. It's not a common scent for incense, but it should be. However, the violent scent in incense is not from the flowers. They are too delicate to yield their fragrance via extraction, so the scent is replicated by synthetic ionones which were developed in 1898 by Tiemann and Kruger. 

Reviews

   

Kameyama Flower Aroma - Violet (P)
Jun 2026 - Score: 32/50

 

Sarathi (Tulasi) Sri Govinda Madhava (PM)
Feb 2026 - Score: 30/50↑

  

Flourish Fragrance Violet (P)
Dec 2025 - Score: 26/50↑

Stamford Violet (P)
Aug 2025 - Score: 25/50

Tulasi Violet Floral (P)
Jan 2024 - Score: 22/50

   

 

SAC Arcangel Zadquiel (Violet - 7 Arcangels) (P)
Apr 2021 - Score: 20/50

   

 

Stamford Violet Incense Cones (P)
Jun 2019 - Score: 19/50

  

Reviews: 7

Top score:  32

Low score: 19

Average: 25/50

***

Incense ingredients

Banjara Ritual Resin On Stick Patchouli

I am very interested in the resin-on-a-stick style of incense, and quite excited that the style is spreading around the world. Banjara is the brand name of R M Enterprises, an Indian incense house based in Bangalore who have moved into making these sticks for wholesale mainly to the West via Dragon Euro Trade in North Holland and Ancient Wisdom in the UK.  And patchouli is one of my favourite scents. So I should like this. They look good, with a rustic charm. The green colour is a nice idea, though looks too artificial for comfort. The scent on the stick is sweet, slightly earthy, slightly resinous, some cool aldehydes, and a general nod in the direction of patchouli. 

The burn is reasonably gentle, and does carry echoes of the scents on the stick, though is a little too full of somewhat rough burning paper and garden waste aromas. Its not offensive, but doesn't present as a quality product. It feels like something put together to get as close to a resin-on-a-stick type incense at the lowest cost. The core stick is as thick as a genuine resin-on-a-stick, but without the same amount of fragrance material. That tells its own story. This is more about the image and presentation than about the care and quality of the fragrance.  

The UK wholesalers Ancient Wisdom distribute them in the UK, so Banjara sticks are available all over the UK for around £3 a pack of 8 from: eBay;  MysticMoon, Amazon, Shiva, etc and also in North America - SoapOpera, South America - Samana,  Australia - Herb Temple, and other countries. It's a cheap price for resin-on-a-stick incense. Shame it doesn't live up to the promise. 

Date: June 2026   Score: 28/50

***

Banjara Incense

Perfect Patchouli

The Incense Atelier "True Vrindavan" Nag Champa

This is a sweet and very attractive Nag Champa which closely follows the original Satya Nag Champa. It's fairly soft and delicate, with an engaging balance of pale wood and floral notes. There are some modern scent tones, along the lines of white musk, and these work well to make this a clean and tidy accord which will likely have a wide appeal. My preference is for an accord that is more rustic, perhaps a little rough, with a more natural feel; however, I really like this a lot, and I suspect others will as well. 

Available from The Incense Atelier at £2.45 for 10gms (plus shipping). A handy good value sampler of 2 sticks of each of the seven scents is available for £4.45 (plus shipping). 

Date: June 2026    Score: 37/50

***

"True Vrindavan"

Nag Champa

Incense in Mumbai

Anand Incense (Mumbai)

Baykeri's of Mumbai

Gamta Organic Incense

Haria

Mumbai

HEM Corporation
Indian (Bangalore and Mumbai) producer of perfumed with some masala

Fair Trade Incense Works
Now called Incense Collective
Indian (Mumbai) producer of perfumed masala

Krishan Products of Mumbai 
Indian (Mumbai) producer of perfumed

Match incense
Amina Agarbatti Works

Nandita
Indian (Mumbai) producer of masala and perfumed

Best of Om Sai (Om Brand)

Ppure Bhagvati Products

Rajpal, Mumbai

Radha Madhav Agarbatti

Indian (Mumbai) producer of masala

  

S Mansukhlal & Co, Mumbai

Vedic Vaani of Mumbai

***

    

Incense in India

Incense around the world

Rajpal Anumati Flora

Very attractive Flora style soaked oil fragrance on the stick. Nips of icy volatiles among the musk and candy powder. Pleasant florals and creamy caramel weave their way through the wool-tinged accord. A delightful blend of attars and modern aroma-chemicals.  This, for me, leans more in the direction of the makers in Pune than Mumbai.  There is a wonderful blend of Persian/Arabian incense tradition with Indian incense tradition in this stick; such as happens in Pune or with incense makers who have ancestors who were strongly involved in the Mughal Empire, or who are followers of Islam. There is a similarity to incense by Jahargirdar of Pune. 

Delightful aroma on the burn. Warm, sweet, slightly musky sandalwood base with little olfactory forays here and there, mostly floral tinged. A really soft and tasty and comforting yet thrilling accord. Rose, dark woods, and caramel are the main takeaways.  This is a very engaging and enjoyable incense. I love it. 

My samples come from Reddit user Brief_Chemistry. Packets are sold in India via the Rajpal website. International purchases are made via WhatsApp +91 99209 36644, with payments done by bank transfer. 

Date: Jun 2026    Score: 40/50

***

Rajpal, Mumbai

Flora incense