| Currently, incense is common in houses, oriental but also in occidental ones. Its utility is basic: aromatize households. In many cases, incense is used as a decorative object or for the practice of yoga and meditation.
Its structure consists of smoky bars that end up in a stick, its form is similar to the one of a Bengal. However, the smell varies, as there are several types of incense.
Even though these are known for their smell and peculiarity, not a lot of people ask themselves its tradition and history. Incense arrived in Japan with the introduction of Buddhism and the monks coming from China. Buddhism is and will always be a crucial part of oriental people, therefore, these use incense for big ceremonies. It is believed that using, it creates a more sacred environment. This was just the beginning; the use of incense began to increase due to its smell and the pleasant feeling of having those as a traditional tool in their own houses. Due to this, now a new ceremony is being held: Koh-Do or the art of the incense. There are ten virtues that the Japanese granted to the incense due to its representation of the country:
Its use and knowledge in Japan are big and occidental countries are starting to frequently use it too. Its creators make an effort to preserve this tradition and they adapt it to other places. |
