Incense Sticks - Shibafune - Traditional
A single bundle of Shibafune (しば舟) from Gyokushodo (玉初堂) of Osaka, wrapped in a paper band printed with a small boat on a band of blue.
A shibafune (柴舟) is a small boat laden with brushwood cut for firewood.
Date Masamune (伊達政宗) gave the same name to a celebrated piece of incense wood, taking it from a line in the nō play Kanehira (兼平).
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: Gyokushodo (玉初堂), Osaka
- Ingredients: tabu bark powder, fragrance
- Format: one bundle in a printed paper wrapper
- Origin: Made in Japan
- Stick length: approx. 15cm
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Gyokushodo (玉初堂) opened in 1804 as a general wholesaler in Aki province, today's Hiroshima. Its second head, Sakubei, moved the business to Osaka, and the house began making high-grade incense after learning the methods of making and blending it from Tō Gyokusho (董玉初), an incense maker from Qing China, drawing on its knowledge of Chinese medicinal aromatics. Gyokushodo is still based in Osaka.