Nippon Kodo incense, Japan incense, incense sticks, high quality incense, Morning star: high perfumery products, incense, essential oils
Since 1575 Talia is an official distributor of Nippon Kodo Ltd.
The dedication of the Japanese company Nippon Kodo in producing incense sticks dates back to the 16th century, continuing today after a long and honourable tradition, established over four hundred years. Many of these precious incenses - widely regarded as inarrivabili for refinement and quality - are still produced today according to ancient original formulations as well as taking inspiration from reworked versions of the same that date back to the second half of the 19th century.
The burning of incense as a "mystical aroma" during religious ceremonies was introduced in the Japanese archipelago by the Buddhist monks as early as the 8th century.
The burning of "Koh" (the Japanese name for incense sticks) spread throughout the Japanese aristocracy only a few centuries later; in this new area, this practice served to promote a kind of "transcendental illumination".
The pinnacle of incense’s popularity among the middle-upper classes of Japanese society - both as an element of social distinction and as a remedy - arrived toward the end of the "Murumachi" period, when the first Samurai warriors were said to fumigate their helmets and suits of armour with incense as a preparatory ritual towards their destiny before going into battle.
It is precisely around this time (about 1575) that the history of Nippon Kodo originated from the eminent artisan perfumer Jyuemon Takai (official supplier of the imperial court of rare and precious fragrances, better known under the pseudonym of "Koju"); many of his precious incenses are still produced today according to original formulations created by him, as well as according to subsequent reworked versions made during the period of the "Meiji" restoration - 19th century - by the famous Japanese "fragrance genius" Yujiro Kito.
Moved by the desire to keep the ancient traditions of Japanese culture alive and maintaining the firm conviction that making an incense stick according to a precise philosophy is a "commendable act of creation of beauty", Nippon Kodo, after centuries of high-class craftsmanship, transformed itself in 1942 into a large transnational company.
In the contemporary age, having likely scaled down the purely ritual and/or esoteric aspects linked to the use of incense, the desire emerges - especially in the West - to manifest, through the use of this product, a certain lifestyle undoubtedly connected to the search for spiritual wellbeing: it is therefore easy to understand how refinement and quality become essential.
JAPANESE INCENSE, MEDITATION AND ZEN
The term "Zen" is the Japanese transposition of the Sanskrit phrase "Dhyana"; it literally means "vision", often expressed also as "meditation" (understood as "state of perfect equanimity and awareness").
Dhyana was widely practiced in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism with the goal of achieving "Enlightenment", a condition perceived as absolute mental purity, reunion with God and also as "opening of the third eye" (or of the "sixth Chakra").
Lighting an incense stick before immersing oneself in the silence of Zen meditation is a useful gesture not only for its mystical value, but also as a small personal ritual aimed at unconsciously preparing body, mind and breathing for this precise moment that is worth an eternity.
The studies on the different types of memory conducted by the neurosciences rationally demonstrate how incense and its ritual positively influence inner recollection, thus revealing its concrete usefulness. Indeed, the smell of incense stimulates the olfactory memory, which is a long-term memory, rooted in the subconscious and therefore very precise. No other sensory cognition is as resistant to the passage of time and/or capable of evoking the past, since odours are archived following a holistic principle which, by its very nature, guarantees individuality and mutual independence to olfactory memories. Once consolidated, the memories of odours are not easy to change.
In order for our nervous system to recognise and embrace the ritual/fragrance combination as a signal of the start of this specific practice, it is a good idea to light the incense stick repeating the same gestures every time but, above all, to use a quality of incense that doesn’t produce a lot of smoke, like Japanese incense; in addition to not containing wood, Japanese incense is particularly appropriate for the practice of the Zen discipline as well as for meditation in general.
INCENSE AND HEALTH - NOTE ABOUT LEGISLATION IN FORCE
As is easy to imagine, in one of the leading economies of the planet - like Japan - the safeguarding of health is naturally an essential criterion: this obviously holds true also for these famous incenses which, in addition to being made with ingredients selected following strict regulations, are duly checkedduring the various production phases in order to be able to guarantee with certainty the absence of adverse effects (even hypothetical) during use; all of this is shown by the suitability of the labelling in accordance with "CLP regulations", labelling found, when necessary, on all packages legally imported into Europe.
>P.S.: it is understood that any negative consequences resulting from irresponsible use of the product (example: excessive amount in an unventilated environment/room, placing within the reach of children while burning, swallowing, burns, etc.) cannot be included among the guarantees and/or the legal responsibilities of the manufacturer.
The burning of incense as a "mystical aroma" during religious ceremonies was introduced in the Japanese archipelago by the Buddhist monks as early as the 8th century.
"Murumachi" period, when the first Samurai warriors were said to fumigate their helmets and suits of armour with incense as a preparatory ritual towards their destiny before going into battle.
"Meiji" restoration - 19th century - by the famous Japanese "fragrance genius" Yujiro Kito.
in the West - to manifest, through the use of this product, a certain lifestyle undoubtedly connected to the search for spiritual wellbeing: it is therefore easy to understand how refinement and quality become essential.
The term "Zen" is the Japanese transposition of the Sanskrit phrase "Dhyana"; it literally means "vision", often expressed also as "meditation" (understood as "state of perfect equanimity and awareness").
Jainism with the goal of achieving "Enlightenment", a condition perceived as absolute mental purity, reunion with God and also as "opening of the third eye" (or of the "sixth Chakra").
to light the incense stick repeating the same gestures every time but, above all, to use a quality of incense that doesn’t produce a lot of smoke, like Japanese incense; in addition to not containing wood, Japanese incense is particularly appropriate for the practice of the Zen discipline as well as for meditation in general.
during the various production phases in order to be able to guarantee with certainty the absence of adverse effects (even hypothetical) during use; all of this is shown by the suitability of the labelling in accordance with "CLP regulations", labelling found, when necessary, on all packages legally imported into Europe. 