sandalwood malas
our sandalwood malas come from a kyoto store established in the edo-kansei era (1789-1801) specializing in scented woods and kōdō (香道) paraphernalia. for more information on kōdō click here.
i discovered this particular store because i have a habit of riding along side streets and taking new roads whenever time allows the luxury of getting lost. i remember the day. i had been very busy running errands downtown getting all loaded, not only with shopping items…. no, let me give you a more descriptive explanation of what gets my head spinning and my whole body buzzing with the electric charge of the shijo-kawaramachi shopping arcades, bustling with almost alien looking humans, dressed in outfits worthy of any theater stage all the way from drama to comedy.
the most rebellious ones being the reinvented school uniform bearers: slender japanese school girls wearing huge white bunches of socks around their tiny ankles, skinny bare legs extending from an almost visible bum – a special effect they get thanks to the roll-up version of the mandatory school uniform skirts which, worn on the actual school grounds would extend over the knees. these “high-rise-skirts” might have possibly been provoked to counteract to the “lay-low-trousers”. the equivalent of the uniform bottoms worn by the boys: a pair of slacks cunningly & barely hanging on only thanks to a well-trained hip-throw walking style that keeps them (the pants and the boys!) afloat halfway between hip and knees, possibly done to prove those girls that yes!! we’re wearing the latest style in boxers underneath and are worthy a make-up-heavy sideways glance and pink-lipped giggle…
these innocent patterns of sweets-addicted school kids interwoven with the most interesting species of young well-manicured, dressed, plucked, painted and dyed androgynous beings floating in and out of designer shops, hair boutique esthe salons or vegetarian restaurants. or how about the purple haired obachans (women of a later middle age) combing the arcade in inseparable groups of 6-60 on their mission: deeply absorbed in gossip or shopping frenzy and oblivious to any other (trying to) passers-b(u)yers… oh, and just to complete the visual of this surreal pattern being spun day after day in the nets of the down town shopping arcades… let’s not to forget about the precious silken threads of the traditional kimono-clad, usually elderly, ladies hushing along quick-stepped, balancing elegantly between the giant obi on their backs and the tiny geta on their feet, heads tilted at a bashful 45 degree angle, as if ashamed of being caught outside the settings of a tea ceremony or an ikebana class, eyes distant with purpose and meaning of the upper class.
you gotta love japan and i certainly do! anyway, that was actually not the main overload i was talking about. add to indra’s net of the modern shopping-spin the buzz of countless neon lights constantly changing, flickering and moving to grab your attention, shop clerks with their high pitched “irrashaimaseeeeee” tirelessly inviting you into their already cram-packed little stalls filled with things you wonder when, how and why they could ever be useful. souvenirs, eadibles, accessories, paraphenalia, make-up, concrete, plastic, acrylic, nylon, eadible souvenirs, eadible plastic and eadible accessories, acrylic concrete, plastic nylon and concrete make-up… and then the neverlightening noise-pollution, something new and different every 5 feet blarring out of loud speakers interlacing with each other, competing over shrillness and decibels, constantly knocking if not slamming onto your tender ear drums - so overpowering that after a while your body, for sheer over-stimulation, will end up shutting out even a true cry of help, overlook a homeless person and surely distract you from getting what human beings actually need…
have i given you enough of a picture – are you feeling the overload 
? the world we create, hm… anyway, the inexperienced fool i am i ventured into this only a faithful (and oh so giant) bicycle by my side and, with a balancing act almost worthy of cirque de soleil, i tried to push my loaded iron donkey thru the seemingly unending stream of meaningless materialism when i got somehow spilled into the back road running parallel to karasuma main street. suddenly blessed with far fewer distractions my eyes and ears were granted a well deserved break, allowing me to literally follow just my nose as that sense pulled me along a scent trail that lead directly to the yamada-matsu store.
the elegant entrance, framed by a traditional noren curtain, two darkgreen palm-like plants, the golden lights of the window and the wafting scent were so inviting that a promise made to myself just 5 min earlier of “ok, i’m done!” was abandoned in a moment.
as if hypnotized by the whirls of lingering fragrance i slipped off my bicycle and thru the silently sliding doors into the spacious luxury of the shop and with it into distant memories…
the quietude, harmony and mystery that seemed like… remnants of past lives? i don’t know what happened and still cannot explain. but i distinctly remember how my body, only minutes after entering, felt calm, light and refreshed once more in this place of scented woods. their effects possibly enhanced by the stark contrast to the cheap bustle of the shopping arcade. what a difference, the refined elegance of an establishment rooted in tradition and history, the shop clerks in simple, understated dress, maybe the kimono clad ladies from before now conversing in subdued voices about the difference between the various qualities of agar and sandal wood fragrances. what an oasis! i keep making sure that i get lost in that alley again and again on my way home from downtown…
kōdō (香道)
kōdō or “the way of fragrance” was formalized around the time of the shogun ashikaga yoshimasa (1443-1490) the father of higashiyama culture (which also included tea ceremony and ikebena, the other classical japanese arts of refinement). fragrant woods have been used in buddhist rituals in japan since the nara period (710-794). sandalwood (白檀 byakudan) is acknowledged to be the most calming of the incense ingredients, it is often combined with one of the six varieties (六国 rikkoku) of agarwood (沈香 jinkō): kyara (伽羅), rakoku (羅国), manaban (真南蛮), manaka (真那伽), sumondara (寸聞多羅), and sasora (佐曾羅). the word “jin” means sinking in water, and “kō” means incense, so jinkō is “the incense that sinks in water.”
if you’d like to learn more about jinkō incense from enryakuji temple in the northestern mountains of kyoto click here.
kōdō is said to have ten physical and psychological benefits or virtues:
- sharpens the senses
- purifies the mind and body
- removes mental or spiritual “pollutants” (kegare)
- promotes alertness
- heals feelings of loneliness
- creates a feeling of harmony even under stress
- even in abundance, is not overwhelming
- satisfies, even in small quantities
- does not decay, even over centuries
- does no harm, even if used every day
kyara is sanskrit for black, and is the most precious aromatic resin in the world, it is very rare and can only be found in a few southeast asian countries.
the rikkoku description of kyara (伽羅):
“a gentle and dignified smell with a touch of bitterness. the fragrance is like an aristocrat in its elegance and gracefulness.”
rakoku is from laos or thailand.
the rikkoku description of rakoku (羅国):
“a sharp and pungent smell similar to sandalwood. it is generally bitter, and reminds one of a warrior.”
manaban referred to a general area of southeast asia around the 15th century, it was also a word for western traders around that time, like the portugese. it can no longer be found and modern rikkoku sets use jinkō with similar characteristics.
the rikkoku description of manaban (真南蛮):
“mostly sweet, a sticky oil is often present after burning manaban. the smell is coarse and unrefined, just like that of a peasant.”
manaka refers to the port of mallaca in malaysia.
the rikkoku description of manaka (真那伽):
“smells light and enticing, changing like the mood of a woman with bitter feelings. the fragrance is of good quality if it disappears quickly. none of the five qualities are easily detectable.”
sumondara refers to the sumatra island in indonesia.
the rikkoku description of sumondara (寸聞多羅):
“sour at the beginning and end. sometimes mistaken for kyara, but with something distasteful and ill bred about it, like a peasant disguised as a noble.”
sasora, like manaban, is of uncertain origin, and jinkō with similar aromatic properties are used in modern rikkoku. some say it was originally from the assam region of india.
the rikkoku description of sasora (佐曾羅):
“cool and sour. good-quality sasora is mistaken for kyara, especially at the beginning. it reminds one of a monk. sometimes very light and disappearing.”
