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In our modern world, our our sense of sight has come to dominate, often to the detriment of our other senses. This would be completely foreign to the ancient Japanese who refined the art of incense we know today. The Japanese concept of monkō, listening to incense, rose to prevalence with Zen's adoption during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Building upon the mysterious and elusive quality of fragrance in which scent was not seen and yet was silently perceived, the Chinese term wénxiāng (聞香) was translated into Japanese as kō-o-kiku (香お聞, hearing incense), and eventually referred to as monkō (listening to incense). Centered less on the conventional sense of smell, monkō represented sensing the presence of Buddha nature through incense, listening deeply using all the senses for one's true nature. Kunjudo's &INCENSE series is a unique stick incense approach to monkō, highlighting both the true nature of individual ingredients as well as the infinite possibilities their combination creates.
Representing the pinnacle of Kunjudo’s 130-years of incense craftsmanship, the &INCENSE series is described as "a pure presentation of the highest quality 100% natural raw ingredients with nothing but the minimum of tabu-no-ki added as a binder." Made from carefully selected aromatics to highlight the true nature of each individual ingredient, the &INCENSE series is unique in that multiple fragrances are intended to be burned together, blending an original incense composition as unique as the listener. Each numbered like the component parts of a greater whole, the three base woods (kyara, aloeswood, and sandalwood) and six aromatics can be listened to individually or combined together as suits the individual listener's preference, creating a unique opportunity to enjoy fragrance that lies at the core of monkō.
Due to this unique nature, to review &INCENSE is to review both individual fragrances and a combination of them. With that in mind, for this unusual review, I've chosen No. 012 Jinkō & No. 021 Cinnamon & No. 031 Borneol to listen to. Note how the "&" makes sense when multiple &INCENSE fragrances are combined together for listening, creating a unique new whole from a series of parts.
The stick of each fragrance is unique in that they are very thin even in comparison to normal Japanese incense sticks. Where a typical Japanese stick is the size of a pencil lead in a #2 pencil, these stick are thinner, the size of a pencil lead for a mechanical pencil, and just as fragile. With a focus on their high quality all natural ingredients with as little binder as possible, the sticks are quite diminutive. Care must be taken when handling them to avoid breakage.
Individually, the No. 012 Jinkō's combination of Vietnamese and Indonesian aloeswood unlit has a robust masculine presence to it, full of a cologne-like top-note in the unlit stick. When set alight, there is a beautiful soft woody floral note of rich aloeswood that is creamy and lightly sweet. The aloeswood tones are delightfully full, rich, and warm, with a sweetness that is both woody and floral, even slightly fruity at times.
No. 021 Cinnamon is a wonderful combination of true cinnamon varieties, blending strong spicy Vietnamese cinnamon with the mellow sweetness of Guangnan cinnamon from China. Unlit, the fragrance is a soft lovely rich sweetness that is more friendly than the usual kitchen variety used in cookies. Once lit, the sweetness released is wonderfully luxurious, with a beautiful mix of spiciness, sweetness, and an almost creamy vanilla like fruity quality. This was a real surprise as the fragrance is so much more rich and enjoyable than expected from just a single aromatic spice.
A staple of Japanese incense, No. 031 Borneol uses actual 100% natural Chinese Borneol and the minimum of binder. Unlit the fragrance is deep, with a peppermint-like cooling light sweetness. Once lit the fragrance takes on a transparent, almost turpentine quality, with a light medicinal coolness that is refreshing. This again was unique in that listening to Borneol alone is unusual, like listening to transparency and the wind with a distant scent upon it.
But the &INCENSE series was meant to be burned together, so the three above were all lit and placed in ash. Kunjudo makes a special brass holder with three holes to facilitate burning multiple sticks at once where ash is not available or practical. They also have made a beautiful custom micro brass burner to use with either ash or the &INCENSE brass holder to create a whole listening system for the &INCENSE line. Lighting multiple sticks at once to combine fragrance was a new experience, and quite fun, at times feeling like a combination of incense craftsman and mad scientist.
Together the sum of the parts was greater than their individual components in unique unexpected ways. It was interesting after having listened to each separately to see how they interacted with each other. No. 021 Cinnamon was beautiful on its own, but when combined with the woody sweetness of No. 012 Jinkō the two blended into a much richer deeper sweetness, that No. 031 Borneol's coolness helped to elevate and transport.
The fragrance created was soft, light, and gently sweet, with a lovely woody creaminess and cool transparency. At times notes recognized from the individual burns would rise to the top, only to join the combination of woody sweet notes in chorus. Alluding to the Japanese reverence for the seasons and the soft sweet woody floral quality mixed with hints of coolness, I named this incense creation Aki no mori (Autumn Woodland) as it had the light sweetness of the fading foliage of autumn tinged with the cool breeze of winter's approach. I am far from a skilled incense artisan, so it was greatly enjoyable to have the feeling of blending my own fragrance and then experiencing the results.
Each fragrance in the &INCENSE series is nothing more than the individual aromatic ingredients, yet the after note produced from the blend was moderately long lived even though there are no additional fixatives to extend the life of the fragrance. Aki no mori's light sweetness continued on like a cool memory in the space, with the delightful sweet fruity cinnamon note remaining for hours.
Having a conceptual understanding of the individual ingredients used in Japanese incense is a significant difference between experiencing them individually then intentionally combining them together to create a new fragrance. The interaction was often surprising, producing blended notes that were unexpected. The experience heightened for me the practice of monkō, as I found myself both listening for the individual aromatic notes, while at the same time experiencing a childlike state of excited wonder at the complete transformation their combination revealed and the feelings this elicited. The entire experience has only deepened my reverence for the Japanese incense masters like those at Kunjudo for whom the ability to create fragrance is a centuries old tradition.
Winter showers
Gray skies and barren trees
A finch's song paints the wind.
Explore all the Kunudo &INCENSE series here.
