Kyara Incense

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this question could be better asked in the japanese incense group though.

if you can create a thread there, i'll follow up as this will help categorization and making it easier for people to find information

oh oops.. my apologies.. i thought it was still an open group!
but anyway, i've burnt quite many kyara incenses myself, it has to depend on your preference on the scent profile
since you're looking for kyara, i'll not include non-kyara containing aloeswood incenses

most kyara incenses can be divided into two to three categories,
1) pure scent types - where the kyara is allowed to shine on its own, with a tad of musk or similar to carry it
2) blended scent types - where the kyara is blended with some aloeswood, herbs etc, and occasionally if one is not familiar with the kyara notes, can get lost in the cacophony of smells..

within the blended scent types, you can sub divide it down to traditional blends, and modern blends.


for pure kyara smells, you can consider
1) Gyokushodo en-no-sho (green oil kyara! yumz.. even the stick before burning smells.. delicious), contains musk.
2) shoyeido shokaku (a bit too stoic, poised, it doesnt approach with power, just staying there in a dignified way..not my favourite)
3) yamadamatsu pure kyara stick (no longer made)
4) kunjudo tenpo kyara
5) seijudo kyara seiran, kyara horen, kyara enju (all lovely kyara sticks with enju being green oil kyara, all containing musk, all my favourites too! ).

for blended kyara
1) nippon kodo kyara taikan - modern (its very clean an incense, but it softens and feminizes the "kyara"/"aloes" quite a bit, the aloeswood content tends to overpower any kyara note peeking through
2) nippon kodo kyara kongo - modern (very perfumy.. powdery... the kyara note is muted)
3) kunmeido tokusen kyara tenpyo - traditional (kyara notes carried with a deep bold blend of herbs.. it gives an atmosphere of cleansing and peace)
4) kunmeido kyara tenpyo - traditional (using lower grade kyara and lesser kyara, but similar herb blend as above)
5) baiedo koh-shiboku - traditional (a 9 herb kokonoe blend with kyara inside, but i seriously some how do not like the 9 herb blend.. so it killed my appetite for the kyara inside) there are a lot of people whom enjoy this incense though. the kyara notes do punctuate the air once in a while, but the herbs creating a "mist" so its not a clear distinction
6) minorien kyara - vetiver oil and agarwood oil coated, low burning temperature, deep foresty, dark, damp notes carrying the kyara
7) minorien kyara ryugen - similar to above, but has a higher kyara content, burns very much more cleanly (there is one grade higher than this but its only for domestic market)
8) shoyeido myoho (traditional) - lovely blend of kyara and sweet aloeswood! i love this incense a lot too! when burning you get one whiff of kyara.. and one whiff of aloes.. one whiff of kyara.. one whiff of aloes..
9) yamada-matsu's houjoukoh tokusen, gokuhin (traditional) - lovely mix! acquired taste, but it shows the mastery of the incense blender in this.. very well balanced, kyara notes supported lightly by floating herb and spice mixtures.. with a tinge of musk and borneol..


i'm almost tempted to recommend shoyeido's horin tenpyo here, but there's no mention of it containing any kyara at all in japanese sources, only jinkoh/aloeswood.. so its out of this list..

so far these are my own experiences with these incenses that i've burnt for myself.. and my humble recommendations.

in terms of economical pricing.. i may suggest that if you like minorien's kyara, go with it as its one of the cheaper kyara sticks around.. everything that contains kyara.. and able to present a clear kyara note is expensive..

in the mean time if your requirements does not restrict it to "kyara" alone, the options are much more abundant..

i.e. you can perhaps specify what sort of scent profile you are looking for in the agarwood incense, i.e. clear notes, delicateness, or a warming herbal touch.. or sweetness, spicyness.. etc

Great info Kyarazen!

Greetings all, I'm a new BN.com member who's also pretty new to the world of oudh and kyara. But what a wonderful, exciting, exotic world it is! Hope no one minds me re-opening this thread.

Kyarazen, thanks so much for giving me something else expensive and exotic to spend my meager funds on, because, you know, I didn't already have enough ways to quickly dispose of my sadly limited income.

I do a lot of shopping on eBay, and I was recently comparing kyara Japanese incenses I found there (not many, let me tell you.) But I did find a small-volume seller of high-quality incense, going by the handle of nakayamabutsudans, who had a 430-stick box of Seijudo's Kyara Ho-Ju for US$43. This seemed like a better deal than the other offerings I found, so I got it.

This was my first experience with kyara incense, and the quality may not be super compared to some others' favorites, but I did notice that I settled into sitting meditation more quickly, and seemed able to calm my thoughts more easily, than previously. I used to have to carve time out and make myself go sit in my meditation room, but now I can't wait to go practice! (I follow a Tibetan Buddhist path - Drikung Kagyu - but I use Japanese incense because the Tibetan kind is too smoky and just doesn't smell good to me.)

On lengthier and more sober reflection, I find that I still like the aroma of the Kyara Ho-Ju, but I've noticed it seems to dissipate quite quickly. Is this common to kyara incense generally, or is it just this quality? Of course, my incense-hating husband is thrilled - he calls this the "least offensive" incense I've ever had. :^/

Nice to meet you all, can't wait to explore this board further!

--Seven

EDIT: And only now do I find out that I should have posted this somewhere else. D'oh! Sorry!

Kyarazen, is the musk you are referring to deer musk? I assume people are not blending Kyara with synthetic musks....

hi guys, sorry for the delay in replies.. suddenly i'm so much busier with many emails.. pms and etc

oudhiferous : yes.. deer musk..!..when traditional companies make their best incenses with kyara, i.e. kunmeido kyara tenpyo, seijudo kyara seiran/enju, gyokushodo en-no-sho.. they use deer musk..

only the more modern ones seem to contain some synthetic musk instead, such as kyara taikan/kongo from nippon kodo.. which makes them rather powdery and perfumy..

edward T -> yumz!.. there must have been lots of musk deers running around in tibet.. :P

@velvetseven :

E Ma Ho!
lady from the west
all things remain impermanent
just like the transience of incense
have an inner shrine, not an outer one
offering incense, the natural freedom of whatever that arises

an address you may send to my inbox
and a dharma gift of incense will be returned

There are/were actually quite a few Tibetan incenses that had a high musk content, Holy Land was one. However, the new samples recently coming out of Tibet seem to be lacking in that component, perhaps due to the political situation there. Most stocks in the US were brought in a couple of years ago, by which point the formerly musk containing Highland incense had lost its musk content entirely. Low end Japanese sticks with a "musk" scent are not using real musk, however quite a few high end sticks still do. Also, it is still possible to walk into an incense store and purchase musk for making incense. Try doing that anywhere else in the world!!

@Kyarazen:

This moment, too, slipping past
Like smoke rising from the burner
The nightingale calls

Expect a message forthwith.

--Seven