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$9.99
Embodying a commitment to natural fragrant woods, Man’yō Natural Sandalwood highlights the pure fragrance of sandalwood in a poetic daily incense.
The Man’yō Natural series is named for the Man’yōshū (万葉集, Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry compiled c.759 CE and containing over 4,500 poems primarily of love, nature, and the transient nature of life. Man’yō Natural incense is a product of Awaji Island, the subject of several of the poems featured in the Man’yōshū. These poems have become woven into the incense culture of Awaji, Japan’s center of incense production. The following poem by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (662 - 710 CE), the court poet to Empress Jitō, is featured prominently on Man’yō Natural incense packaging:
淡路の野島が崎の濱風に妹が結びし紐吹き返す
At the cape of Nojima in Awaji,
Beach breezes,
My beloved’s fastened belt,
blows back and forth.
The cape of Nojima faces the straight of Akashi at the northern tip of Awaji Island. Crossing this straight was a life-threatening experience in the seventh century. Loved ones would commonly tie the belts of each other’s clothing before parting on such a dangerous undertaking, with a promise not to undo them until they met again. In Man’yō Natural Sandalwood, Baikundo seeks to create a fragrance that poetically expresses these same precious bonds passed down through the ages.
Key Note: Sandalwood
Stick Length: 5.5 inches
Stick Count: Approx. 120
Approx. Burn Time: 25 minutes
