Japanese Kodo Ceremony Accessories

Kodo, the incense ceremony in Japan
The incense ceremony in Japan, called Kodo (Kōdō - the art of appreciating scents), is one of the classical arts in Japan, like the tea ceremony or the art of Ikebana (floral arrangements). From the accessories to the method for carrying it out, everything is strictly codified. It is mainly aloeswoods (Aloe wood, agarwood, Jinkoh, Latin name: Aquilaria Malaccensis or other species) and sandalwood (white indian sandalwood or Mysore sandalwood, Latin name: santalum album) and blends of Japanese incense that are burned during this ceremony. The use of Japanese charcoal tablets and mica plates enables the heat to be regulated and the wood, which is often very expensive, to be burned in a suitable way without carbonising it.