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Baieidō (Japanese language: 梅栄堂) is a Japanese incense company established in 1657, located in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, It is one of the oldest traditional incense makers in Japan.
History
edit
Baieido dates back to the Muromachi period (1338-1573) in Japanese history. During this period, the founder of Baieido, Kakuuemon Yamatoya, became a wholesaler of medicinal herbs in Sakai city. Sakai was a well-known trading port in ancient Japan in which incense trading was in high demand. In 1657, the founder named himself "Jinkoya Sakubei" and specialized in selling incense ingredients and incense sticks. "Jinkoya" (Aloeswood trader) was a name peculiar to Sakai, only medicinal wholesalers who specialized in incense were authorized to use this name. In the time-honored traditions of Jinkoya Sakubei, Baieido has dedicated itself to making incense for over 300 years. The method and recipes have been handed down from generation to generation in an unbroken secret oral tradition. The name "Baieidō" is derived from the three characters bai, ei, and dō. Bai means "plum tree"; ei means "prosperity"; dō means "shrine orsStore"
Traditional incense
editThe following are the main incenses made by Baieidō. Their staple incense is "Kōbunboku" (好文木). Several of the other incenses are based on this incense.
| Title | Description | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| Kōbunboku | Expression of the Plum Tree | 好文木 |
| Tokusen Kōbunboku | Premium Kōbunboku | 特選好文木 |
| Kaden Kōbunboku | Family Secret | 家伝好文木 |
| Bikō Kōbunboku | Delicate | 微香好文木 |
| Bikō Kōbunboku | Delicate (Smokeless) | 微香好文木（煙ひかえめ） |
| Jinkō Kōbunboku | Agarwood (Smokeless) | 沈香好文木（煙ひかえめ） |
| Byakudan Kōbunboku | White Sandalwood | 白檀好文木 |
| Sawayaka Kōbunboku | Cinnamon | さわやか好文木 |
| Kai Un Kō | Good Fortune | 開運香 |
| Shū Kō Koku | Gathering of Fragrant Countries | 聚香国 |
| Tokusen Shū Kō Koku | Premium Shū Kō Koku | 特選聚香国 |
| Jinkōya Sakubē Series | 沈香屋作兵衛 | |
| Byakudan Kokonoe Kō | Incense of the Imperial Palace | 白檀九重香 |
| Jinkō Hōryu Kō | Phoenix & Dragon | 沈香鳳龍 香 |
| Gokujyō Jinkō Kunshō Kō | Rising Scent | 極上沈香薫昇香 |
| Premium Series | ||
| Tokusen Kokonoe | Premium Byakudan Kokonoe Kō | 特撰九重 |
| Tokusen Hōryu | Premium Jinkō Hōryu Kō | 特撰鳳龍 |
| Tokusen Kunshō | Premium Gokujyō Jinkō Kunshō Kō | 特撰薫昇 |
| Tokusen Kōshiboku | Timbers of Confucius | 特撰孔子木 |
| Tokusen Kōen | Garden Incense | 特撰香苑 |
| Kyara Kokō | Ancient Scent | 伽羅古香 |
Agarwood
editBaieidō also pioneered research into the history of Agarwood (also called aloeswood).[1] Agarwood refers to a resin that develops from some trees in the Aquilaria genus that are infected with a fungus. The tree produces a resin to protect itself against the fungus. This resin is agarwood. Japanese incense often uses 2 common terms for agarwood: jinkō (沈香) and kyara (伽羅). Jinkō refers to any kind of agarwood. Kyara refers to one specific type of agarwood.
Japan has been using raw woods in incense since the Kamakura period (1185–1333).[2] Incense ceremonies are mentioned in The Tale of Genji in the early 11th century. Much later, possibly in the Edo period (1603–1867), different agarwoods began to be labeled with different names. The different agarwoods were given the category name "Rikkoku" (六国), literally meaning "Six Countries". Kyara is one of these 6 kinds of agarwood.
- Kyara
Kyara is thought to have originally come from Vietnam.
- Manaban
It is unknown where in Southeast Asia the original Manaban agarwood came from.
- Sasora
The original location of Sasora agarwood is also unknown. It possibly came from Assam, India.
- Rakoku
Rakoku was from somewhere in modern Thailand or Laos.
- Sumontara
Sumontara came from Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Managa
Managa came from Malacca, Malaysia.
Most incense companies that make sets of "Rikkoku" replace these traditional agarwoods with available agarwoods that have similar scent properties to the original agarwoods. Baieidō has named the following agarwoods that are used in their incenses.
- Kokonoe no Kumo (九重の雲)
This agarwood is from Indonesia.
- Tsukigase (月が瀬)
This agarwood comes from Vietnam.
- Ogurayama (小倉山)
Ogurayama agarwood comes from Vietnam.
- Hakusui (白水)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Aloeswood". Web Archive. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16.
- ^ [1] Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit- Baieidō's Website
- Rikkoku ("Six Countries" of agarwood) Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Baieido USA
- Japanese Incense by Kyozaburo Nakata & David Oller Archived 2009-02-15 at the Wayback Machine