Explore the quiet, contemplative side of Japanese incense culture with this curated fragrant wood set from Kogado. Built around the theme of comparing different "bitter" notes, the set gathers ten pieces of wood across five classic varieties: Kyara (Harugasumi), Rakoku (Yukima no Kusa), Manaban (Oborozukiyo), Sumondara (Shiba no To), and Sasora (Akaratachibana). Each variety comes with two pieces, letting you compare their subtle differences within the "bitter" category, one of the five core tastes in the traditional Six Countries and Five Tastes (Rikkoku Gomi) system of incense classification.
This set reproduces the exact woods used at Kogado's "Monko-kai: Comparing Different Bitters" gathering held in June 2022. Unlike kumiko, the competitive incense-guessing game, or the more formal rites of kodo, a Monko-kai is simply a gathering for quietly listening to and learning the character of each wood, with no games and no set etiquette involved. Because the pieces are meant for individual listening sessions rather than a formal matching game, they are not cut into uniform 4mm squares; they keep their natural, unaltered form.
The woods come wrapped in a traditional folded paper (tatamigami), packaged to 192mm by 160mm by 23mm. The size and color of the paper vary slightly depending on the type and amount of wood inside. Please note that purchases are limited to one set per customer.
A fragrant wood set themed around “Bitter,” one of the Rokukoku Gogomi classifications. Includes 10 pieces total, two pieces each of five fragrant woods, in the same varieties used at the June 29, 2022 Kōkōkai “Five Tastes, Bitter” incense-listening gathering.
Contents: Green-oil Kyara, “Harugasumi” Rakoku, “Yukima no Kusa” Shin-Nanban, “Oborozukiyo” Sumotara (agarwood), “Shiba no To” Sasora (red sandalwood), “Akara Tachibana”
Designed for listening to one piece at a time, not for kumikō, so the pieces are not uniformly cut to exactly 4 mm square. Package size: 192 × 160 × 23 mm, in a folded paper wrapper. Wrapper size and color may vary depending on the type and quantity of fragrant wood.
