Bikou Kobunboku Incense (About 190 sticks)

Ł15.60

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In stock, order by 3pm weekdays, despatch same day

Related Product Search: Baieido Incense (16), Japanese incense (33)

Incense weight: 85 grams
Number of sticks: Approximately 190 short sticks. This may vary slightly though as the quantity of incense is based upon weight, not the number of sticks
Stick length: Approx 13 cms
Burn time per stick: Just over half an hour per stick
Manufacturer: Baieido, Japan

Baieido says: Bikou means : "Delicate incense" Bikou Kobunboku is a subtler version of the traditional Kobunboku formula. Very soft and fresh, with just a hint of cassia and other Chinese herbs with both sandalwood and aloeswood.

Bikou comes in two types, regular and less-smoke. Smoother and softer is the way we describe this Kobunboku formula.

About sandalwood: An evergreen tree of the Santalaceae family found predominantly in India. Within India, the area by the southwest coast known as the Mysore region is referred to as Sandalwood City, and this is regulated by the Indian government. It is extremely famous for its production of superior quality Sandalwood as well as its high price. The heartwood of the Sandalwood tree has been valued from ancient times for carving Buddhist statues and ritual objects. Its aroma is proclaimed of in ancient works as; 'pure, powerful, emanating tranquility, when burnt it is superior to other incense aromas.'

"This Bikou Kobunboku incense comes from the Kobunboku range (their best selling range) from the Japanese incense manufacturer Baieido. It brings in some of the original formula used with the Original Kobunboku, which we sell, and brings in some cassia (cinnamon family) and aloeswood. It also sets out to have less smoke than the original. I did a comparison and would say that it gives off about a third of the amount of normal smoke. The incense stick is a tiny bit thicker than normal.

To review this incense I compared it to the Original Kobunboku, which was a touch more floral and more gentle and I also compared it to the heavily cinnamon-influenced Sawayaka Incense, which was more spicy and male with a pleasant “burnt” aspect. After burning Sawayaka and going back to the Bikou Kobunboku I found the more subtle floral sweetness of this particular incense more noticeable. It has a nice balance of “relax” and “uplift”.

It seems to me that Original Kobunboku has a mass appeal, which is why it is so popular. This product is like a cousin of the original that has the appeal for some of less smoke and brings in a slightly more edgy male aspect, ideal for meditation I would say. I tend to feel that cinnamon has a bit less mass appeal, and more a specialist appeal than say the more floral incences. Bikou to me retains some of the subtle floral aspects of the original while bringing in a bit more spicy vibrant energy." - Brett

Baieido Incense (16) - High quality Japanese incense manufacturer
Baieido is one of the oldest traditional incense producers in Japan and has been producing a range of pure and high quality incense for over 300 years. The company has a long history, which can be traced back to the Muromachi period in Japanese history (1338 to 1573). The founder of Baieido, Kakuuemon Yamatoya, became a wholesaler of medicinal herbs in Sakai city during this time. It was a well known trading port, where demand for good quality incense was high.

By 1657, Kakuuemon Yamatoya was specialising in selling incense ingredients and incense sticks and was able to call himself Jinkoya Sakubei. Jinkoya meant ‘aloeswood trader,’ and it was a name that only authorised medicinal wholesalers, who specialised in incense, in Sakai were able to call themselves.

Later the name of the business changed to Nakata Baieido, still making incense with methods that had been handed down for generations. Baieido is now recognised as one of the highest quality incense manufacturers in the world today blending the finest aromatic woods and resins to produce a natural, mild, low-smoke incense stick of superb quality and aroma.

Since Jinkoya’s incense work, the time-honoured traditions and incense formulas have passed on down through the centuries and the company continues to make incense to the oldest recipes.

Baieido take pride in using both traditional incense stick making processes alongside more modern manufacturing techniques and new technology.

When Baiedio incense products are being made, they go through 12 keys stages.

1. The natural perfume, which is a key component of the incense sticks, it carefully controlled and analysed in the laboratory.
2. The aloes and sandalwoods are milled and crushed together into a powder form.
3. Next the powder and dyes are blended together.
4. The mixed materials are put through a sieve to remove any impurities.
5. The materials are kneaded to form a clay-like substance, called tama.
6. The tama is put through a machine to form stick shapes and are then laid on a tray and cut to a set length.
7. The incense sticks are dried out and any that aren’t straight are removed.
8. The sticks of incense are cut into different lengths.
9. The sticks are dried for several days.
10. The incense sticks are adjusted with a board, to help prevent them becoming bent.
11. Each individual incense stick is carefully inspected, then bound together with a fixed weight.
12. The sticks are checked again, before being packed up.

Japanese incense (33) - High quality, pure
Japanese incense (speaking in general terms) is refined, pure, light smoke and rich in natural ingredients such as sandalwood. They don't usually have the thin wooden stick centre that is often found in Indian and other incense sticks. They are normally pure incense right the way through the stick. They are often designed with meditation in mind. Due to the high quality manufacturing processes the incense goes through they can be a little bit more expensive than other incense on the market.

To find out more read:
The History of Japanese Incense

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