Baieido Japanese Incense

Baieido is one of the oldest Japanese companies, having been producing incense since 1657. At that time, it was a shop in the town of Sakai (Osaka) offering ingredients for making incense. This city was already a well-known centre for the incense trade at that time.

The incense sticks are produced on a base of sandalwood (Santalum album from India), with blends of herbs, spices and natural resins added (clove, cinnamon, benzoin, olibanum, patchouli, star anise, camphor, etc.). Baieido is a brand that uses many varieties of agarwood to make most of its incense. There are many different types of this precious wood, most of which are called Jinkoh, while the rarest and most expensive are sometimes called Kyara. This is why there are so many variations of incense under different names: Tokusen Kobunboku, Kai Un Kō, Kaden Kobunbokou, Shukohkoku (Shū Kō Koku), Tokusen Shukohkoku, Kōshiboku, Kunsho, etc.

Agarwood, of the Aquillaria type, is available in many countries (Burma, India, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc.) but it is trees attacked by a fungus that are the most sought-after as they then develop a kind of resin to defend themselves. Wood of this type develops a highly prized fragrance and can fetch astonomical prices.

Depending on where they come from, agarwoods have different names: Kyara, Tsukigase, Ogurayama or Hakusui from Vietnam, Sasora from Assam (India), Manaban (South East Asia), Sumontara (Sumatra), Managa (Malacca), etc.

Baieido incense is a high-quality product, the fruit of centuries of expertise.