Incense Sticks - Chitose - Sandalwood

A single bundle of Chitose (ちとせ), a sandalwood incense from Kyukyodo (鳩居堂) of Kyoto, in its green and gold paper tube. Chitose means a thousand years.

Kyukyodo makes it from top-grade rōzan byakudan (老山白檀), Indian sandalwood, with added fragrance to lift it. The sweetness is kept in check so that the fresh character of the sandalwood comes through.

To use, light the tip, wave out the flame and stand the stick upright in an incense holder or a bowl of ash or sand. Never leave burning incense unattended.

Specifications:

• Maker: Kyukyodo (鳩居堂), Kyoto
• Scent: Indian sandalwood, lightly sweet and fresh
• Format: one bundle in a paper tube
• Stick length: about 12 cm
• Origin: Made in Japan

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Kyukyodo (鳩居堂) was founded in 1663, when Kumagai Jikishin (熊谷直心), twentieth in line from the warrior Kumagai Naozane, opened a dealership in medicinal ingredients in front of Honnō-ji temple on Teramachi in Kyoto. Because the raw materials of medicine and incense overlap, the house began making incense around 1700. In 1880 it opened a Tokyo branch at Ginza Owari-chō, now Ginza 5-chōme, to serve the Imperial Household. Both addresses, Teramachi Aneyakōji in Kyoto and Ginza 5-chōme in Tokyo, are printed on its incense tubes.