Another incense from Gyokushodo’s Dento no Kaori incense line.
This particular incense has some an intriguing ingredient of which I am very unfamiliar with.
The ingredients supposedly consist of: Aloeswood, Sandalwood, Plum, Kiakou (a fragrance made up of the operculum of a Veined rapa whelk), Camphor, Musk, and Others.
This is another thin, square-cut stick. The stick is green. I’m not sure what else is in here, but I see some small shiny speckles spread throughout the incense stick. Perhaps this is seashell? I really don’t know.
Review
I’ve been burning this for a few minutes now.
At first I thought it smelled really good. I’m not sure about this one. I keep getting whiffs of something very peculiar. It almost smells like a sea animal.
I honestly wouldn’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure this is the Kiakou.
The wood notes of agarwood and sandalwood are very balanced with the other ingredients. This doesn’t seem to be a wood-forward fragrance, but rather blended to create a new sort of scent.
I’ve read that this is supposed to have a sort of chypre smell, but I actually didn’t pick that up. I’m not getting any citrus notes. The plum is noticeable and is very nice, as is the camphor and deer musk. However, I thought citrus was a key component of the chypre smell and I simply didn’t detect any. Rather, the incense smells like a traditional Japanese incense, with some intriguing oceanic components.
I could see a lot of people liking this, but I probably wouldn’t consider it to be one of my personal favorites. It seems like a high-quality product, however, the oceanic qualities may or may not appeal to you, depending on your preferences.
It is certainly a complex and interesting incense. I still have a few inches of this incense stick, and will save it to revisit at a later date. Perhaps my perception of it will change upon revisiting with fresh eyes.
