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Post by yumehime on Jan 30, 2016 14:34:10 GMT -5
www.baieido.co.jp/english/page2.htmlAccording to this site, stick incense is period. They want to sell me things, so I remain a bit skeptical, but there are plenty of references detailing period use of fragrant smoke. I have even come across one illustrated text, translated and shared online, that suggests women not only perfumed their robes and rooms with incense, but also combed their freshly washed hair over a censor. The translator did not specifically say incense, but hot coals in a metal cage almost beg for it. So now that I have been playing in my kitchen with combustible incense blends, and some are very successful. I have found plenty of 'magical' and 'traditional' formulas for non-combustible on pagan that can be inspirational, though fail to factor in history. I mean really, frankincense in Aztec blends? Vanilla in a Roman mix? Not until Columbus opened trade routs, and even then it would have been subject to local trends. I may mix modern blends, but I won't be calling them anything else. Now that I'm feeling a bit more confident in the art, I would like to look at how Heian and later Japaneses blends were formulated. I know they could have had most ingredients the silk roads traded in, but not what was seen as stylish, elegant, or pleasant. Were certain ingredients kept special for temple use? And did that vary by region? I have a lovely clove and saffron blend if anyone would like a recipe, but I can't seem to find information on how period it is to use them together for burning. It's a tricky art to make combustible incense smell nice and burn, so I expect challenges in recreating anything, but I would like to try. Any information would be great.
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jan 31, 2016 16:17:37 GMT -5
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Post by Abe Akirakeiko on Feb 5, 2016 11:07:07 GMT -5
Argh, that's what I get for not checking the board often enough! I have studied and made Heian and Tang incense. Much of what is documented is nerikoh, or kneaded incense, instead of stick incense. Nerikoh is made by blending materials and mixing them with plum meat or honey and letting them mature for a while - this is what is described in the Tale of Genji. You don't set it on fire, you instead heat it to release the fragrance slowly, like in later periods you would heat a single piece of aloeswood to enjoy the fragrance. There was an earlier discussion on this board: tousando.proboards.com/thread/2581/traditional-fragrance-perfumesI have limited time today, but PM me and I would be happy to send you my class notes and such. I've also got a copy of the Kunshuu Ruishou, which was a catalog of incense blends put together in the late Heian period, and have been slowly working on translating it.
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Post by Abe Akirakeiko on Feb 5, 2016 11:14:49 GMT -5
Also, I'm not sure if you have access to JStor, but this is a great article about both the physical nature and poetic significance of incense in the Tale of Genji: www.jstor.org/stable/2384070
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Post by solveig on Mar 3, 2016 4:04:24 GMT -5
While not everybody has free access to download articles from JSTOR, anyone can pay (a rather steep price) to download articles. And, anyone can read a limited number of articles each month entirely for free. So take heart people without accounts at research libraries! We too can use JSTOR!
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Post by solveig on Mar 3, 2016 4:10:13 GMT -5
For what it is worth, I studied 香道 kōdō (incense ceremony) for a while in Shinjuku and collected a couple of beginning licenses. The version I learned is where you boil off volatile esters from a wood chip placed on a mica sheet. There are a bunch of formal games that can be played during an incense gathering involving guessing incense varieties and stuff like that.
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Post by Ōgiyame no Emi on Apr 18, 2016 14:49:53 GMT -5
Argh, that's what I get for not checking the board often enough! I have studied and made Heian and Tang incense. Much of what is documented is nerikoh, or kneaded incense, instead of stick incense. Nerikoh is made by blending materials and mixing them with plum meat or honey and letting them mature for a while - this is what is described in the Tale of Genji. You don't set it on fire, you instead heat it to release the fragrance slowly, like in later periods you would heat a single piece of aloeswood to enjoy the fragrance. There was an earlier discussion on this board: tousando.proboards.com/thread/2581/traditional-fragrance-perfumesI have limited time today, but PM me and I would be happy to send you my class notes and such. I've also got a copy of the Kunshuu Ruishou, which was a catalog of incense blends put together in the late Heian period, and have been slowly working on translating it. Abe Akirakeiko, I've PM-ed you about your research I'd love to read your translations.
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Post by solveig on Oct 23, 2016 5:02:22 GMT -5
Incense also plays a minor role in the tea ceremony which began with the Eisai, but was revolutionized in the sixteenth century. Depending upon the time of year, either kneaded incense or a small piece of fragrant wood is added to the fire either during a formalized incense procedure with guests or prior to arrival of guests.
When you read Genji Monogatari or other writing by Heian and Kamakura Period women, you will notice that men were in part known by and for their scent. Basically, there was a lot of individual unique incense compounding going on and not a simple mil-spec or otherwise standardized incense.
Aloes wood and sandal wood chips are commonly used in contemporary incense ceremony. However, fragrant wood could be and is obtained from lots of sources and appreciated.
In the incense ceremony, a wood chip is heated on a mica plate above a charcoal fire buried in carefully cleaned ashes. The volatile esters are boiled off the wood. I believe that this approach became the customary procedure for incense parties relatively early as it optimizes the conditions for appreciating unique scents.
The decision whether to directly burn or simply to warm the source for a scent should be decided based upon results. Similarly, you should decide upon whether to knead incense or use a ship based upon season and observed results.
Yes, I am saying that there isn't a simple "correct" formula. There are a variety of seasonal associations and general principles that you may want to apply. In tea, the fire is placed relative to the guests based upon seasonal desire for warmth.
Stick incense is something you offer at your butsudan or at temples. You can even use the things as a sort of timer for your chanting exercises. I suppose that you can also use them as a general scent for your room. But, I know of no art to their use or appreciation.
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Yuuko
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Post by Yuuko on Mar 15, 2017 16:23:50 GMT -5
My Rakuten-fu has uncovered some incenses of the sort that would have been used in the Heian period (the kneaded pellets). Some of them are quite inexpensive. My favorite Rakuten store for that is Kohgen, which also carries a Heian-period replica stand for scenting robes and a period hanging incense burner (though both are prohibitively expensive, a thousand dollars or more each). If your Japanese Search Terms Skills are up to snuff, you might even be able to break through the computer-translated gobbledygook to find which of the pellets are period scented for the different seasonal scents. I know what I'll be getting once I have my kit together.
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Post by solveig on Mar 16, 2017 14:49:08 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Sólveig! My Rakuten-fu has uncovered some incenses of the sort that would have been used in the Heian period (the kneaded pellets). Some of them are quite inexpensive. My favorite Rakuten store for that is Kohgen, which also carries a Heian-period replica stand for scenting robes and a period hanging incense burner (though both are prohibitively expensive, a thousand dollars or more each). If your Japanese Search Terms Skills are up to snuff, you might even be able to break through the computer-translated gobbledygook to find which of the pellets are period scented for the different seasonal scents. I know what I'll be getting once I have my kit together. Kneaded pellets are available from just about any tea supply store. For example, you can order them from Tea Dogu in Portland, Oregon. However, we should understand that what was going on during the time of Murasaki Shikibu and even that of Lady Nijō appears to be quite different from what goes on in either the modern tea cult or in the modern incense cult. (I have kyōjo for both.) If you are interested in recreating Heian Period practice, I suggest that you acquire an incense burner (unfortunately they are expensive) and try to compound your own incense.
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Yuuko
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Post by Yuuko on Mar 16, 2017 18:55:34 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Sólveig! My Rakuten-fu has uncovered some incenses of the sort that would have been used in the Heian period (the kneaded pellets). Some of them are quite inexpensive. My favorite Rakuten store for that is Kohgen, which also carries a Heian-period replica stand for scenting robes and a period hanging incense burner (though both are prohibitively expensive, a thousand dollars or more each). If your Japanese Search Terms Skills are up to snuff, you might even be able to break through the computer-translated gobbledygook to find which of the pellets are period scented for the different seasonal scents. I know what I'll be getting once I have my kit together. Kneaded pellets are available from just about any tea supply store. For example, you can order them from Tea Dogu in Portland, Oregon. However, we should understand that what was going on during the time of Murasaki Shikibu and even that of Lady Nijō appears to be quite different from what goes on in either the modern tea cult or in the modern incense cult. (I have kyōjo for both.) If you are interested in recreating Heian Period practice, I suggest that you acquire an incense burner (unfortunately they are expensive) and try to compound your own incense. There do seem to be some kits, but for me it's more convenient and less costly to find pellets under the same names as they were in period and pretend. As for incense burners, the cost really depends on the size, whether it's electric, and whether it's artisan made. There are a number of small incense burners meant for pellets that are under thirty dollars, which have the same metal upper screen cover seen in art from around that period. Ash and incense charcoal are likewise cheap, and the tools aren't too terribly expensive either, depending on who you get them from. I've read the diaries and Genji, so I understand a bit about how incense was used in period, I think. A large part of it seems to be for scenting clothes, sort of like a perfume. People could be identified through their signature incense fragrance even though they couldn't see one another through a screen. As an aside, from what I understand, pellet incense is not meant to be burned but rather 'cooked', that is to say heated over the hot coal without actually combusting, so that the scent permeates the room due to the heating of the pellet rather than carried by smoke.
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Post by solveig on Mar 19, 2017 0:30:54 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Sólveig! There do seem to be some kits, but for me it's more convenient and less costly to find pellets under the same names as they were in period and pretend. Can you share a link for where you found these kits.Interesting. Again could you share the link.A lot of the charcoal, ash, and "tools" which I have run across online are actually for the incense ceremony which I studied. This does not use pellet or kneaded incense. It uses small, thin, square samples of aromatic wood which are placed on a ginyo (a square piece of mica surrounded by a silver edge) which is placed on top of a mound of ash in which is buried a burning piece of charcoal. The idea is to boil off aromatic esters. In the tea ceremony, kneaded incense does manage to disappear as do wood chips. (Which is used depends upon the season.)Yes, it is generally believed that these people did not actually see each other until their relationship was fairly advanced.
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Post by solveig on Mar 20, 2017 14:11:16 GMT -5
A Note About Being Perfectly Period
Being 100% period is impossible if for no other reason than normal genetic drift and residual contamination from surface nuclear explosions. "Perfectly Period" is Aspirational! It is taking up the gauntlet that we ask of everyone when they attend their first event. It is attempting to recreate the past. What I am urging everyone to do is to use their imagination, their research skills, and their craftsmanship to make this event the best recreation of Japan in the history of the Society and one of the best recreations regardless of culture in the history of the Society. I fervently hope that future generations will go on to do better than we do. In my view, we are currently in the imagining stage. For at least the next six months, let's try to imagine our best possible event. Let's not rule things out based upon either the presumed ability of ourselves or the people who may attend. Yes, we can discuss how we may try to do them, but let us please not rule things out just yet. So, if you would like yabusama at the event, then speak up! Maybe somebody will find a site which can accommodate it!
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Yuuko
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Post by Yuuko on Mar 21, 2017 22:24:31 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Sólveig! There do seem to be some kits, but for me it's more convenient and less costly to find pellets under the same names as they were in period and pretend. Can you share a link for where you found these kits.Interesting. Again could you share the link.A lot of the charcoal, ash, and "tools" which I have run across online are actually for the incense ceremony which I studied. This does not use pellet or kneaded incense. It uses small, thin, square samples of aromatic wood which are placed on a ginyo (a square piece of mica surrounded by a silver edge) which is placed on top of a mound of ash in which is buried a burning piece of charcoal. The idea is to boil off aromatic esters. In the tea ceremony, kneaded incense does manage to disappear as do wood chips. (Which is used depends upon the season.)Yes, it is generally believed that these people did not actually see each other until their relationship was fairly advanced. Here are the mix-kits I've found on Rakuten. A couple are surprisingly cheap, I thought they were all equally expensive. kit 1, kit 2, kit 3, kit 4, kit 5. As for the burners, here is what I've found with the period-style grid top (though they're not fully period shape, and one is electric). All of these are under a hundred dollars, and the electric one is particularly cheap (there is a bigger model that is quite costly though). burner 1, burner 2, burner 3. As for tools I was just thinking of the necessary things for working with something potentially burning (like metal chopsticks). If you're interested in looking and perhaps recreating, I found some expensive items that are more or less replicas of period incense items: period burner 1, period burner 2, period burner 3, period burner 4, robe scenting stand, period hanging burner.
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Post by solveig on Mar 22, 2017 0:37:04 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Sólveig! Thank you for posting the links. Here are the mix-kits I've found on Rakuten. A couple are surprisingly cheap, I thought they were all equally expensive. Rakuten is a great place to buy things from specialty stores all over Japan. And, there are speciality stores for a lot of different traditional art forms. It looks to me like Kit #2 would be be a pretty good beginners kit for compounding incense. It appears to have the necessary tools for grinding and mixing along with some scents to start out with. Aromatic wood chips for the incense ceremony vary hugely in price. Also, as you have discovered, Japanese reproductions can be very expensive. Of your three candidate "incense burners", only #1 claims to be a 香炉 kōro which is what the devices used in the incense ceremony are called. As you noted, #2 is an electric heater. #3 is a bit vague about what it is and from looking at it, it might even just be a container for ashes in which you stand "joss" sticks. So, if I were you, I would go with Kit #2 and incense fumer #1. Metal chopsticks are used in the tea ceremony for dealing with charcoal. Very small metal chopsticks with wooden handles are used for dealing with ashes and charcoal in the incense ceremony.
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