I couldn't find a reliable website for Gyokushodo - information mostly comes from sales bling on various shop websites, so I have treated it with some caution. Many shops say the company was formed in 1804, though that appears to be the year a merchant, Sakubei II, moved his wholesale business from Hiroshima to Osaka, which has developed a reputation as a major label incense centre with companies such as Baieido and Nippon Kodo, as well as Gyokushodo. In 1804, Sakubei II was trading in Chinese herbs and ingredients for incense making, but wasn't making incense himself. It appears to be 1850 when he started making his own incense, based on knowledge he acquired from dealing with China traders, and formed Gyokushodo. Its popular everyday line is Kojurin, which means something like "Forest Fragrance", and combines natural woods with fragrance oils. Jinko means agarwood,
Pleasant gourmandy scent, a touch of roasted shallots, some dry fried fish, fragrant wood, and a general rustic, savoury, and mysterious accord. It's not a sophisticated, intelligent, or balanced accord - difficult to assume anyone has designed this. It is what it is, and you'll either like it or not. I'm OK with it, and I can see why it would be popular in Japan, though I can also see why it's a low cost everyday incense. If rustic woody scents which lean toward fairground onions rocks your world, then this may the incense for you.
Available in several places - AtmosphereIncense in Singapore who ship worldwide, Wa-No-Kaori in Japan, JapaneseIncense in the USA, and from Shi on eBay in the UK, who also sell a trial pack.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment: