Kyoto Shoyeido Incense New Fragrance: Shirakawa (a Dud)

Greetings From Kyoto

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Disappointment: I am a big fan of Shoyeido (松栄堂), a purveyor of incense in Kyoto established in 1705. I usually get their ‘Horikawa’ (堀川) fragrance from the Horin (芳輪) series. The Horin series has more than half a dozen fragrances with a price range of not too expensive to a bit expensive. My favorite, Horikawa is in the middle of the price range.

At the beginning of this year (2012), Shoyeido launched a new fragrance in the series called Shirakawa (白川) and today I purchased a box. (I had actually gotten a two stick sample pack at New Year’s and vaguely recall being underwhelmed. But hey, it was New Year’s, perhaps the sake and champagne had dulled my sense of smell, I thought.

Today I burned several sticks and must say I am really disappointed with Shirakawa. When it is burning, I can barely smell anything! (I must say, the fragrance of the stick itself, is very subtle and beautiful. But, I don’t buy incense to sniff the sticks!)

Shoyeido has some incense, especially their premium products, range from sublime to otherworldly. I hope next time they update their Horin line, the fragrance will not be a dud!

Burning some Shirakawa in my Eido era Dragon motif bowl.