Blending old, new methods makes a lot of scents on Awaji Islan, known as one of Japan&’s largest incense stick production sites. 

The aroma was sweet, but not too sweet. It smelled fresh but also had depth. The factory was full of the scent of the byakudan (sandalwood) tree, widely known as the smell of traditional Japanese incense sticks. 

I visited Kunjudo, an incense stick maker based in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture. Awaji Island is known as one of Japan&’s largest incense stick production sites. 

On the island, there are about a dozen companies that produce and sell incense sticks independently, along with factories of other major incense manufacturers. Ahead of the Bon season, annual production enters its peak. 

The incense stick production process is simple. Powdered tree bark and perfume materials are first mixed together, then hot water is added and the ingredients are kneaded. The paste is then placed in a machine that shapes it into long, thin sticks. Workers then cut these to size and dry them out. 

The most important factor is not how the sticks are made, but rather the type of perfume materials that are initially blended. 

Usually, these blended materials include parts of fragrant trees such as byakudan and jinko (agarwood), herbal medicine such as keihi (cinnamon) and choji (clove), and perfumes from animal sources such as jako (musk). 

Shozo Akashi, the managing director of Kunjudo, said: “How incense is blended is a closely guarded secret of the manufacturers. Even if incense sticks look similar, their aromas are delicately different depending on the makers.” 

Awaji Island was once a prosperous fisheries site. Production of incense sticks spread widely there in the latter half of the Edo period (1603-1867). 

Akashi said, “I heard that to secure income in the winter, when residents were often unable to go fishing due to strong winds, craftsmen [of incense sticks] were invited from Sakai (now in Osaka Prefecture).” 

The craftsmen taught the locals their techniques, and the island developed into a production site for incense sticks. 

In recent years, incense is also made from liquid perfumes due to the influence of Western aromatherapy. Thus, the variety of aromas has increased. 

Kunjudo produces incense sticks with aromas of lavender, rose and coffee. Burning them does not create fragrances traditionally redolent of Buddhist temples. 

The aroma of the rose-flavored incense was sweet and bright, and the coffee type was fragrant. 

The incense sticks are also colored, such as in red and pale purple, and can be used as interior decorations to brighten up living spaces. 

However, although the new varieties have become popular, traditional incense sticks are very important for producers on the island. The ones used in Buddhist rituals are still the most in-demand. 

Japanese incense sticks have become popular souvenirs for foreign tourists, and officials at the manufacturers said oriental aromas are bestsellers among foreigners. 

Baikundo, another maker based in the city, produces incense sticks with aromas of rose, mint and lemon. This spring, it began selling new products, called Yuzen, that are produced using traditional methods. The incense sticks give off sweet aromas based on traditional natural medicines. 

Yasuhito Yoshii, the company&’s president, said, “It took us nearly 30 attempts until we were able to make them successfully. The products have earned a good reputation, probably because they offer a new sensation.” 

Partly because fragrant trees are now in short supply in India and Southeast Asia, from where Japan imports them, obtaining traditional kinds of perfume materials has become difficult. 

But Yoshii said, “We’ll continue searching for new materials so that we will be able to produce incense that people use in their daily lives at reasonable prices.” 

Islanders in the Seto Inland Sea, who maintain the traditions of the aromas, seem to be aware of the new trends but enthusiastically maintain traditional production methods for products that are used for praying for the deceased. 

Note
Incense culture is believed to have been brought to Japan together with Buddhism in the sixth century. Incense sticks are also mentioned in “The Tale of Genji,” but stick-shaped incense is relatively new and was brought from China during the Edo period. Until then, Japanese people created incense by kneading perfume materials into ball shapes, and enjoyed the aromas by using them in special burners. 

Incense sticks produced on Awaji Island are available in stores selling articles for Buddhist rituals and also department stores nationwide.