Japanese Candle Set - Tohaku - Sumac Wax

Wooden gift box set of seven sumac wax candles and a KOMA candle stand.

The TOHAKU series of candles is made with sumac wax - also known as haze wax - and pays homage to the Pine Trees screen by Tohaku Hasegawa, one of Japan's most celebrated painters. The screen, in which towering pine trees emerge from mist without figures or embellishment, is designated a national treasure and considered one of the defining works of the Muromachi period.

Hasegawa grew up on the Noto peninsula, and the pines he painted are drawn from memory of the landscape around Nanao City, his childhood home. The elongated shape of the TOHAKU candle is inspired by the form of those trees. The white powder that blooms naturally on the surface is characteristic of sumac wax and evokes the soft haze that veils the pines in the original painting.

• Contents: Seven small Tohaku sumac wax candles and KOMA Candle Stand (S)
• Packacing: Paulownia wooden box
• Burn time: 80 minutes per candle

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Takazawa Candle has been making plant-based candles, such as from the fruits of the sumac tree, rice bran, and rapeseed flower oil, since 1892. The company was part of a bustling trade during the Edo period in the harbour town of Nanao, and to this day continues to make candles by hand, focusing on traditional techniques.

The flames of Takazawa candles burn bigger and brighter than those of other candles. This is due to a special wick the company makes from a unique recipe dating back to the 16th century, when it was important to make a candle burn as bright as possible. The wick is also made from plant-based materials such as dried rush and washi-paper.