Incense in China
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Incense in China is traditionally used in a wide range of Chinese cultural activities including religious ceremonies, ancestor veneration, traditional medicine, and in daily life. Known as Chinese: 香;
Lidded hill censer (xianglu) with geometric decoration and narrative scenes. Han dynasty, 2nd century BCE
An Eastern Han ceramic hill censer
Bronze incense censer in front of Buddhist temple, Xi'an
Burning incense at a Chinese temple
Incense in Japan
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The burning of incense in Japan began during the 6th century with the introduction of Buddhism, which uses incense during rituals and ceremonies. Agarwood was imported into Japan from China via Korea.
Incense in China
…pillars, incense paste is piled around a single bamboo stick and sculpted to shape. Incense paste may be extruded and wound to produce spiral incense. Japanese incense Incense…
Stacks of incense at a temple in Japan
Fragrant scent played an important role at court during the Heian period (image from The Tale of Genji by Tosa Mitsuoki, 1617–91.)
Ranjyatai, a historical kyara wood dating to the 10th century CE, kept at the Shōsōin treasury in Nara
A set of utensils used for incense ceremony