Kyoto Kungyokudo Incense - The Scent of Kyoto 8 Variants / 薫玉堂 天然香料線香

Kungyokudo (薫玉堂) has been making incense in Kyoto since 1594, and describes itself as Japan's oldest incense supplier. It began as an apothecary serving Nishi Honganji, one of Kyoto's great head temples, and still stands in the very same place today — directly across from the temple on Horikawa-dori. More than four centuries on, Kungyokudo continues to blend incense for both ceremony and everyday life, drawing on recipes handed down through the family and a natural, almost perfumer-like approach to fragrance. The result is a range that feels deeply rooted yet quietly contemporary: rare fragrant woods for moments of stillness, and lighter, more playful scents inspired by the places and seasons of Kyoto.

Kungyokudo's Kyoto Scenery collection is a series of incense scents, each inspired by a particular place in and around Kyoto — a garden, a temple, a village, a season. Light, approachable and charmingly packaged, they're made to be enjoyed every day: each slim box holds around 58 short sticks that burn for about 25 minutes, just long enough to change the feel of a room.

This selection gathers eight of the collection's quieter, more contemplative scents — moss, bamboo, water, tea and lotus — alongside Sakaimachi 101, Kungyokudo's signature blend.

Matsuo no Koke (Moss in Matsuo) / 松尾の苔 — A quiet moss garden deepened green by rain. Damp, warm and earthy.

Sagano no Take (Bamboo in Sagano) / 嵯峨野の竹 — Wind moving through the green tunnel of Sagano's bamboo grove. Quiet, fresh and green.

Uji no Matcha (Uji Matcha) / 宇治の抹茶 — The neat rows of Uji's tea fields. Calming, with the sweetness and depth of matcha.

Otowa no Taki (Waterfall in Otowa) / 音羽の滝 — Clear spring water flowing from Mt Otowa in Higashiyama. Sandalwood-based, cooling in summer and warming in winter.

Miyama no Renge (Milk Vetch in Miyama) / 美山のレンゲ — Fields of renge flowers in Miyama, a forested village of clear streams. Sweet, with a slightly tart edge.

Mimurodo no Hasu (Lotus in Mimurodo) / 三室戸の蓮 — A lotus opening on a summer morning. Clean, gentle and serene.

Yase no Kun-isou (Lavender in Yase) / 八瀬の薫衣草 — A lavender field in Yase on a warm summer afternoon. Calming and relaxing.

Sakaimachi 101 / 堺町101 — Kungyokudo's signature blend, named for the address of its Kyoto shop. It captures the temple town in front of Nishi Honganji and the mingled scent of fragrant woods inside the shop, blended from the family's handed-down recipe book.

◾ Handmade in Japan

◾ What's included?

- Approx. 20 g (approx. 58 sticks) in one box

- Stick length: approx. 13.5 cm

◾ Size: approx. Width 5.2 cm × Depth 15.2 cm × Height 2 cm (box)

◾ Burning time: approx. 25 min (per stick)