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Honey has a long history of use in Japanese incense dating back to the arrival Buddhist monk Ganjin who introduced nerikō to Japan from China. Kneaded fermented incense, nerikō employed woods and aromatics ground into powder bound together using honey or the flesh of plum. The sticky paste was then rolled into small pill sized balls of aromatic Chinese medicine that could be taken internally or heated for its therapeutic fragrance. The importance of care in the use of honey in preparing incense was highlighted in The Tale of Genji, as a courtier from the countryside is described as obviously lacking in refinement because she uses too much honey in her incense, creating a fragrance that is cloyingly sweet. One of the five tastes of the Gomi, "sweet" is classically described as that of the natural sweetness of honey rather than our modern sugary sweetness. Unusual to find in stick incense, in Shunkohdo's Honey Sandalwood (Gentle Scent) we are given a glimpse into honey's ability to add both sweetness and depth to an all natural sandalwood incense.
Shunkohdo describes Honey Sandalwood as "made only from natural ingredients, 'gentle scent incense' is made primarily from Indian sandalwood with a touch of honey to add sweetness." A reduced smoke incense, Honey Sandalwood fills its "gentle scent" with the rich depth of honey in a unique natural sandalwood stick incense.
Honey Sandalwood's unlit stick is a deep forest brown, nearly black, with very little fragrance other than a clean stone crispness with a distant sweetness. Unlike many reduced smoke incenses that are sharp and resonate, the stick is smooth, cool, and approachable - soft rather than sharp. Yet its sweetness is barely discernible like something glimpsed from peripheral vision.
Once lit, Shunkohdo's Honey Sandalwood takes on a distinct warmth with a soft glowing sweetness like warm Japanese fluffy pancakes. Where a typical sandalwood would lead with woody, creamy, resinous notes, the glowing stick takes on a distinctive softness filled with a warm sweetness that is reminiscent of warm honey. The creaminess of sandalwood here is background at first, adding depth to the honeyed tones of the overall burn. It is quite a surprising stick, unique in that even given that honey has been used for centuries in traditional takimono (kneaded incense), it is an unusual sweet note in Japanese stick incense compared to more commonly found cinnamon or star anise.
As the stick warms and the fragrance fills the space, the sandalwood notes at the base begin to blend more with the honey. A rich sweet creaminess like honey blended with cream takes over. It an enigmatic combination; not sandalwood, not honey, not cream. But instead a unique fragrance that is rich, full, and unusually heady for a simple daily sandalwood in its almost buttery richness. This is a fragrance of cool weekend mornings spent enjoying a hot cup of tea, watching the fog burn off in the early sunlight. The fragrance is soft, retreating, gentle, like the rays of sun through the mist.
Although this is a reduced smoke incense, there is not the usual acridity of charcoal present in Honey Sandalwood's fragrance. Some smoke is produced, but it is thin, wispy, and very light; easily missed if not searching for it. It is its natural ingredients here that emphasize the fragrance rather than the charcoal burning so bright as to mute anything along with the smoke.
Honey Sandalwood's after note is paradoxically both short and long lived. The warm sweetness of the burn vanishes quickly after the stick is consumed. But the warm honey note takes on a toasted quality, deeper and richer, as though filling in the space on a subconscious almost gut level. This deep tone, barely there once one is accustomed to it, remains for hours after the stick is complete. Barely noticeable when any length of time is spent in the space of the burn, but leave the space and return, and the layered honeyed sweetness is is brought back to awareness only to again slowly retreat into the background.
In a world of many sandalwood fragrances, Honey Sandalwood is unique. Soft, yet full bodied. Sweet, yet not cloying. Rich, yet not overpowering. With reduced smoke, a comfortable light sweetness, and a gentle lingering fragrance, Honey Sandalwood is a soothing incense ideal for smaller spaces, where a lighter fragrance is desired, or where a fragrant beam of sweet sunshine is needed.
Pine boughs sway in the breeze
Sun beams piercing the morning fog
Early spring snow melting.
Shunkohdo Honey Sandalwood "Gentle Scent" is available in the following size:
300-Stick Box
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Learn more about Ganjin's introduction of nerikō to Japan in the book: The Fragrant Path: A Guide to the Japanese Art of Incense. Filled with practical suggestions, useful tips, and an exploration of the history, selection, use, and appreciation of this uniquely Japanese art form, The Fragrant Path offers a rare, comprehensive look into the Japanese art of incense in the first in-depth English-language book on the subject in nearly three decades.
