kodo ceremonia del incienso

7/28/2019 KODO Ceremonia Del Incienso

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In the Sengoku (Warring States) period of Japanese history, Koh-Do (incense

ceremony) spread among aristocrats and high-ranking samurai, sharing popularity with

the tea ceremony.

In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, known as a period of renaissance in Japan, people in

the upper class often held cultural and social events to enjoy performances such as tea

ceremony, renga (linked verse) composition and Noh plays. Koh-Do played an

important role as one such cultural phenomenon in this period.

As its formalities came to be developed and shaped, Koh-Do started to be

acknowledged as one of the "geido", refined arts that are supposed to be performed

following certain rules and manners. In this respect, Japanese incense or koh is

somewhat different from perfume in western countries. There, people expect nothing

more than fragrance from perfume, but this is not the case with koh. No longer an

innocent pastime, Koh-Do prevailed beyond the samurai and court class. As intellectual

people such as writers, artists, affluent merchants and landowners started to adopt its

formalities, incense exerted a great influence on calligraphy, literature and tea

ceremony, occupying a precious position as an intangible and spiritual asset of the time.

Koh-Do is said to have been established as a kind of game by the end of the sixteenthcentury. Founders of Koh-Do include Sanetaka Sanjonishi, a high-ranking court noble,

Soushin Shino, a samurai who had studied Jinkoh under the Shogun Yoshimasa

Ashikaga, and highbrows such as Sogi and Shohaku.

Later, Koh-Do branched off into several schools, of which two leading schools

survived: the Oie-ryu School and the Shino-ryu School. The former, established by

Sanetaka Sanjonishi, shaped the manners and methods of Koh-Do performance, putting

more emphasis on literal aspects of incense. Shino-ryu, the latter, is more systematically

organized, putting considerable emphasis on manners and formality. Oie-ryu

perpetuates incense as a form of game-playing passed down from court nobles in the

Heian period. Shino-ryu, on the other hand, spread through the samurai and affluentmerchant classes.


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Having survived the long passage of time, these two now exist as the leading schools of

Koh-Do today.

Otemae in the incense ceremony


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Aloeswood Fragrant woods include cedar,

cypress, etc.

In the world of the incense ceremony, fragrant wood refers to kyara, agarwood (jinkoh)

and sandalwood (byakudan).


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The system of classifying kohboku, which constitutes the basics of appreciating incense,

is called Rikkoku-Gomi. This refers to the six ancient East Asian countries where

kohboku woods originate, and the five elements used to describe their flavors. The

names of countries (Kyara, Rakoku, Manaka, Manaban, Sumotara, Sasora) all represent

a qualitative classification of kohboku wood, and five terms (hot, sweet, sour, bitter,

salty) are used to describe the different essences.

A piece of kohboku wood can generate more than one fragrance when burned. Kohboku

pieces often have a mixture of multiple fragrances, generating an indescribable blend,

depending on the proportion and strength of each essence contained in a piece of wood.

1. The aspect of improving mental wellbeing

Koh-do or the incense ceremony, Sa-do or the tea ceremony, Ka-do or flower

arrangement... Why do Japanese people tend to dedicate themselves to such classical

Japanese arts?

In a quiet room, a participant sniffs fragrances following certain rules of etiquette.

This is a chance to leave the bustle of everyday life behind, quieten the mind and

practice introspection.

Improving the art is the same as improving the mentality.


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2. The gaming aspect

Hosho = A sheet on which all answers of the participants are placed.

Incense burners of A, B and C are passed around with the names of fragrant wood chips

within them made known to the participants. Have the participants memorize the

characteristic of each fragrance.


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Then one fragrant wood chip is chosen from among the three fragrant wood chips and

the incense burner with the chosen chip inside is passed around with its name hidden.

Now guess what fragrance it is A, B or C.


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1. Kindle a charcoal-bal.

2. Put it into the ash

3.Cover it with the ash

4. Form the ash into a cone shape


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5. Straighten the ash surface of the cone

6. Put a fragrant wood chip on the top

plate

Steady the incense burner on your left palm keeping it horizontal and place your right

thumb and little finger along the incense burner.


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Bring the incense burner close to your nose with keeping it horizontal.

Listen to the fragrance rising from the space between your right thumb and index finger.

The Ten Virtues of Koh is a list of the benefits derived from the use of incense. These

Ten Virtues have been passed down from the fifteenth century (the Muromach Era) and

are still cited today as uniquely capturing the spirit of Koh.

After these Ten Virtues were established, Koh gradually evolved away from the

sophisticated elegance of the courtier and acquired the character of a discipline, the way

of Koh (Koh- Do).


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Incense is considered to be sacred and used as an offering to God at times and at other

times it can be used as a tool to bring more peace into ones life. Incense can be lookedat as a way of communicating with others.

Today we live in the Age of Fragrance. We surround ourselves with scents. In fact,

the use of fragrance is considered a form of self expression. With this in mind, we

continuously serch the world for the highest quality raw materials in order to

manufacture and supply fine incense which will bring you pleasure and enrich your day.

Machilus Thunbergii,

as known as Tabu-no-ki

Agarwood, also

knnown as Aloeswood
http://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_03b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_02b.jpg


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Sandalwood

Benzoin

Borneol

Cinnamon

Clove
http://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_08b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_07b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_06b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_05b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_04b.jpg


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Star anise

Babylonia

Musk

Cedar
http://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_12b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_11b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_10b.jpghttp://www.nipponkodo.com/en/shared/images/materials_pic_09b.jpg


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Rose

Vanilla

Vetiver

Ylang Ylang
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kodo ceremonia del incienso

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