there are hundreds of different games which can be played during
Kodo ceremonies. These games are called Kumiko and often based
on seasonal themes, poetry, travel, etc.
the ceremony takes place in a room where six to fifteen
people may gather comfortably, sitting in a sort of square,
with the teishu (talker), scorekeeper, and komoto (incense
presenter) at the front. Each participant has a score sheet
to record his or her impressions or observations of the
woods to come. The komoto prepares a cup of rice ash, in
which is buried a piece of hot bamboo charcoal. A small
mica plate is placed over the charcoal and a tiny piece
of aromatic wood is laid on the mica. The wood's fragrance
is released without combustion; that is, Kodo is a smokeless
manner of heating incense to release its purest aroma.
When the cup is properly prepared the komoto enjoys a couple of inhalations and
passes it to the left with a bow. Any honored guest sits to the left of the komoto
and is the first recipient of the Kodo cup. The cup makes its way around the
room, each person enjoying the wood's aroma and noting any distinctive characteristics
on their score sheets. Thus the cup comes back to the komoto, who has prepared
a second cup and wood for comparison. Score sheets record each person's identification
of the woods and the results can be interpreted in a story of travel, reading
of poetry, or a number of ways. The number of cups/woods sampled depends on the
particular kumiko game being played.
What does Kodo offer contemporary Westerners?
Kodo offers westerners the same things it does in Japan: the enjoyment of playing
a game with others in a social setting, a peaceful retreat from busy life, opportunity
for mindfulness practice, a soothing time to wash away the thoughts of the day,
and the discovery of the many pleasures of one of the world’s most treasured
your advice for a novice who'd like to get started?
Anyone can begin to learn more about Kodo with easily obtained books from your
local bookstore or library. Two we recommend are:
The Way of Incense - by David Pybus
Book of Incense: Enjoying the Traditional Art of Japanese Scents
- by Kiyoko Morita
Immediately after reading these brief books, you're ready to begin enjoying Kumiko;
the incense games of Kodo.
does the novice go to learn more?
For further education on Kodo there is some wonderful information on the website www.japanese-incense.com and
a wealth of information on historical Kodo lineages and more on the Yahoo Internet
Group, Alice’s Restaurant. (Please see our Links page)
How long does it take to become proficient, on the
average? Kodo is immediately enjoyable to anyone
who participates in a ceremony or plays its games. Proficiency
can be looked at in two ways. The first has to do with training
the nose or olfactory system in the brain to recognize and
identify the scents of the different aloeswoods. Some people
are immediately very good at this and for many others Kodo
is an excellent way to reawaken your olfactory system to
perceive and recognize aromas.
Secondly, there is the proficiency for hosting a ceremony. One can usually
begin hosting an informal Kodo ceremony with friends and family shortly after
reading the books suggested earlier and obtaining a few basic items. To learn
more details of the presentation and the various host positions involved, simply
participate in more Kodo events, and watch as the ceremonies unfold.
Kodo is a lifelong endeavor in which one continuously learns more and more
each time a game is played. In Japan, a person trains and studies for over
30 years before they become a master of Kodo, and even then if you ask one,
he or she would most likely tell you they are still in training and will be