Japanese Candles - Rockaku - Rice Bran Wax

Set of ten hexagonal rice bran wax candles, designed to be placed directly on a flat surface or plate. A matching Kutani ware hexagonal plate is available to complete the set.

Rockaku (六角) means hexagon in Japanese. Unlike conventional Japanese candles, which are mounted on a spike, the ROCKAKU candle is designed to rest on a flat surface - its hexagonal base sits stable without a holder, making it a genuinely different kind of object. It is recommended for use with the ROCKAKU candle plate, both for aesthetics and to catch any residual wax.

The hexagonal form is one that recurs throughout the natural world - in turtle shells, snowflakes, and honeycomb, and has been used as a motif of good fortune and longevity in Japan since ancient times. Made from 100% rice bran wax, each candle burns for sixty minutes.

The ROCKAKU plate is made from Kutani ware porcelain - a ceramic tradition from Ishikawa Prefecture with a history stretching back to the 17th century, known for its distinctive glazes and meticulous craft. The plate is hexagonal, shaped to match and receive the ROCKAKU candle, and serves both as a stable base and a surface that catches any residual wax. Outside of the ROCKAKU candles, the plate also works well as a resting place for incense cones or as a small trinket dish.

Rockaku candles can be bought with the plate as a set, or both items can be bought individually.

ROCKAKU Candles

• Material: 100% rice bran wax, washi paper wick, rush weeds, silk fibre
• Burn time: 60 minutes per candle
• Dimensions: w17 × d17 × h40mm per candle
• Contents: 10 candles
• Recommended for use with: Rockaku Candle Plate
  
• Made in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

ROCKAKU Plate

• Material: Kutani ware porcelain
• Dimensions: 75 × 75 × 10mm
• Recommended for use with: Rockaku Candles
  
• Made in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

_________________________________

Warosoku Daiyo was established in Takashima County, Shiga Prefecture in 1914, and the craft of candle-making has been passed down across four generations. Shiga Prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, and the region's long relationship with natural resources has shaped Daiyo's approach from the beginning - all candles are made from 100% natural plant wax, a principle unchanged since the company's establishment more than a century ago.

Fewer than ten master candle-making craftsmen are said to remain in Japan today. Each Daiyo candle is made by hand using a traditional technique called tegake, in which wax is applied to the wick by bare hands, dried, and applied again - layer by layer. The wick itself is constructed by hand: a piece of washi paper is first rolled and wrapped with rush weeds, and silk fibres are then used to hold the weeds in place. This hollow wick draws air upward from the base, producing a flame that burns larger and brighter than conventional western candles. By using only natural plant wax, Daiyo candles produce no smoke, the melted wax stays within the candle, and they are almost entirely odourless when burning.