About Koh Japan
A small independent guide to the world of Japanese incense — its houses, its woods, and its rituals — for readers outside Japan.
What this site is for
Japanese incense is one of the most quietly remarkable craft traditions in the world. It is also, to an English-speaking reader, almost invisible: most of the serious writing about kōdō, jinkō grading, and the differences between the Kyoto houses exists only in Japanese. Koh Japan exists to bridge that gap — to give curious readers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia a real on-ramp into the subject without the usual misdirection ("ancient Zen herbs," "calming aura blends") that clutters Western incense writing.
We write in English, French, and German. Content is researched in Japanese and written for a Western nose, which means we are careful about what translates and what doesn't.
What we cover
- Brand guides for the major Japanese incense houses — Nippon Kodo, Shoyeido, Kungyokudo, Yamadamatsu, Kyukyodo and others.
- Material guides to the woods (byakudan, jinkō, kyara, hinoki) and spices that define Japanese blends.
- Product reviews of specific sticks and assortments, with honest — sometimes unflattering — notes.
- Culture pieces on kōdō, temple use, and the Heian literary tradition of scent.
- Travel and shopping guides for readers visiting Kyoto or Tokyo.
How this site makes money
Koh Japan is reader-supported through Amazon affiliate links. When you buy an incense product through a link on this site, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. That commission does not affect which products we cover or how we review them: we frequently praise products that we do not link to (because they're not on Amazon) and we sometimes decline to link to products that are (because we didn't like them).
We may run display advertising (Google AdSense) on some pages. We do not accept sponsored content, "brand partnerships" disguised as editorial, or paid placements in our rankings.
A note on accuracy
Japanese incense is an old craft with a lot of overlapping schools, dating conventions, and transliterations. We take care, but errors happen. If you spot one — a date, a romanization, a misattributed blend — please let us know.
Get in touch
Write to hello@koh-japan.com. We read everything, though we may take a while to reply.
A last word
Incense is best when it isn't the point. Our hope for this site is simple: that you read enough to buy one good stick, light it, and then stop reading. The reward is in the room, not the article.