Incense of the Day

[Karim Collects]

Shoyeido - The Infamous Shokaku

My small step toward the kyara rabbit hole.

When I receive this yesterday I lit it for a bit and I must say that I felt like I was getting a calming buzz high. Could be due my expectations or subconscious mind.

Continued the rest of the stick right after getting out of bed and on my way to work. I am energized and feeling high. (Would not recommend as the scent seems to stop one from focusing and spiraling downward to identify what the gorgeous smell is. 😆)

In my limited experience and abilities to describe it, I would say smooth floral cola. I received this stick from a very generous brother 🙏🏼

 

[Joe]

Have you tried Myokaku - Enlightenment? I have 1.5 boxes of it. I use it sparingly, but it's only $140 on Shoyeido's International website as opposed to 849 USD on the American site.

lol

 

[Karim Collects]

Have you tried Myokaku - Enlightenment? I have 1.5 boxes of it. I use it sparingly, but it's only $140 on Shoyeido's International website as opposed to 849 USD on the American site.

lol

Not yet, so far I’ve tried Dr. Incense, Kyarazen and fushigi and I’d rate them in that order respectively.

But! I have this on the way hopefully by Mid-August 😀

Behold!

Yamadamatsu Hojo Sample (Red, White, Green)
Baieido Tokusen Kohshiboku
Yamadamatsu Oju
Kunjudo &INCENSE No. 11 Kyara
Gyokushodo En no Sho
Shunkohdo Five Kyara Sampler
Shunkohdo Kanhoa
Yamadamatsu Shu-Ju Kyara
Seijudo Shiragiku
Seijudo Kyara Enju
Seikado Gokujo

 

[Alamande]

Green Hojari - The Frankincense Store

This is a bit on the pricy side and not as high quality as the amazing green I got from Habzoud, but I still think it’s cool that there’s a brick-and-mortar shop in the UK where so many different types of boswellia and comiphora products are available. It’s totally worth a visit if you are ever in Notting Hill.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Tennendo Enkuu old stock

Plenty agarwood note with some medicinal herb.

Then Kohgen’s Jinkai

Fruity agarwood with some spice that has a Kyukyodo vibe.

 

[OudGood]

Tennendo Enkuu old stock

Plenty agarwood note with some medicinal herb.

Then Kohgen’s Jinkai

Fruity agarwood with some spice that has a Kyukyodo vibe.

Loved the old stock Enkuu sample I got from you!

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Green Hojari - The Frankincense Store

This is a bit on the pricy side and not as high quality as the amazing green I got from Habzoud, but I still think it’s cool that there’s a brick-and-mortar shop in the UK where so many different types of boswellia and comiphora products are available. It’s totally worth a visit if you are ever in Notting Hill.

I hope that little nugget didn't run off onto the main plate of your sub? Would be a bugger to clean.

 

[Joe]

Tennendo Enkuu old stock

Plenty agarwood note with some medicinal herb.

Then Kohgen’s Jinkai

Fruity agarwood with some spice that has a Kyukyodo vibe.

I have Tennendo Enkuu too!

 

[Simla House]

Kyukyodo : Kinbato 🐦 (2023)

This incense scratches a particular itch for me that can only be found in quality modern Japanese incense blends.

Dry and woody, with notes of blue or light purple florals.
Possibly iris, camphor, and reiryo koh, blended gently with aloeswood and sandalwood.

This stick’s dryness goes really well with today’s warm weather. Ocean air pushing up whatever these florals are.

 

[Alamande]

I hope that little nugget didn't run off onto the main plate of your sub? Would be a bugger to clean.

I have been lucky so far - surface tension seems to hold the oily puddle on the small mica plate and off the main one! Then when it cools down, the whole mass lifts cleanly off in one piece.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Shoyeido Nankun and Gaho

They smell top tier to me😊

 

[Oudamberlove]

Dr. Incense Tarakan

From around 5 years ago.
Smells so much like heating Tarakan agarwood👌

 

[Woody69]

Yi Chen-Laoshan Sandalwood is very nice sandalwood and very high level sandalwood even though I'm not majorly into sandalwood. A very nice change of pace incense

 

[Joe]

Shoyeido Nankun and Gaho

They smell top tier to me😊

Gaho - Refinement, very special.

There's a great book I'm kind of reading, pages here and there, skipping. chapters, whatever, called "The Fragrant Path: A Guide to the Japanese Art of Incense." You may get joy out of it. I read the chapter on how they use certain materials, including sections on camphor, jinko (agarwood), sandalwood, among others. Now I'm reading the first chapters, which is the history of incense as it developed in the class system of early Japanese history. And how incense was brought to Japan via Chinese trade and Buddhism.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Kangiiten - Dreams of Chen-La. Surprisingly sweet. Almost like green kynam (CK) sweet. Nothing particularly complex about them.. quite smokey but zero burnt wood notes. All sweet. This is in a reasonably cold room with minimal humidity. Pretty nice thus far.

 

[Woody69]

I bought The Fragrant Path book last year the week it was released. I read it in a few days and then I gave it away. It was okay but I was hoping for more about incense and not Japanese history. It's a better book for someone new to Japanese incense and Japanese history. I would have preferred less history and more about incense it's self but it seems geared to newbie's of Japanese incense.

 

[Joe]

I bought The Fragrant Path book last year the week it was released. I read it in a few days and then I gave it away. It was okay but I was hoping for more about incense and not Japanese history. It's a better book for someone new to Japanese incense and Japanese history. I would have preferred less history and more about incense it's self but it seems geared to newbie's of Japanese incense.

There are separate chapters that discuss the materials used in Japanese incense, including all types of incense, not merely sticks. The first part of the book is largely historical. It's not what's taught in most Western schools, so it would be new information for Westerners.

But it's technical too. Translating a lot of terms, as games in society, gambling, etc. It discusses the classes in Japanese history, how religion introduced incense to Japan, and the various types of incense (kneaded, granular, etc.). I find it fascinating. I took the author's advice and jumped to the materials section first. Now I'm at the beginning of the book about the history.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Baieido Jinkoh Kokoh

Old batch. I personally love this stick,
a touch medicinal, spice, and agarwood.

The new batch doesn’t even smell
similar…too much benzoin.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Ok, so out of those coil's I first tried a Lao Shan sandalwood. I could not let it burn for more than five minutes ( and that was pushing it ) before my head started splitting open. Hands down synthetic, oil soaked whatever crap. I have zero expectations for the others in the sample pack. Surely the agarwood coils might be ok? I've now lit one called Ten-Zan Hoi-An Agar and it's actually not too bad. It does smell like agarwood and not a cheap one either. Definitely Crassnaesque..is that a word? I'll give it a 2 out of 5.

 

[Woody69]

just burned a tiny bit of Shoyeido- Myo Ho circa 2012. Very nice and has always been my favorite of their kyara incenses. Shokaku has a perfuminess of some kind of floral oil in it that I never loved. I have theorizes it was blue lotus oil in it and that is why the stick has been represented in blue.