, established in 1705 by Hata Rokuberi ( Moriyoshi Rokuzaemon Hata and Rokubei Moritsune Hata), an employee of Kyoto's Imperial Palace and an incense hobbyist, is one of the oldest

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

companies in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The company is based in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, with shops in five cities in Japan, and one in America. Shoyeido is credited for bringing incense to the Western world at the end of the 19th century.

History

The first Shoyeido shop at the corner of Nijo and Karasuma streets was set up in 1705 by members of the Hata family, who were previously employees of the Imperial royal court. Exports to the West started in 1894. Its first US office was set up in

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

in 1990.

Name

Shōeidō written in kanji The name "Shoyeido" (''Shōeidō'') is derived from the three characters Shō, Ei, and Dō. *''Shō'' means "Pine tree" *''Ei'' is the ancient sound meaning "Prosperity" *''Dō'' is a store or company. The ''Shō'' is from the traditional Sho Chiku Bai trio of ''shō'' (松 pine tree), ''chiku'' (竹 bamboo) and ''bai'' (梅 plum tree), which are used as a traditional Japanese grading system, to represent varying degrees of quality. In this grading system, ''shō'' represents the highest grade or quality.

Activities

Shoyeido had 140 employees and made $30 million in sales in 1999. It manufactures most of its products in a facility in

Nagaoka-kyō was the capital of Japan from 784 to 794. Its location was in Otokuni District, Yamashiro Province, corresponding to a 4.3 x 5.3 kilometer area spanning the borders of modern cities of Mukō and Nagaokakyō, Kyoto, the town of Ōyamazaki ...

. Il also owns an artisanal shop near Karasuma where it preserves the craftsmanship of incense-making and fills custom orders. Shoyeido still uses its +300 year old secret recipe for religious orders. Shoyeido is still a family business, today run by the twelfth generation of the Hata family. Shoyeido has several stores in Japan across five cities, including four in

Kyōto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most pop ...

, three in

Tōkyō Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which ...

, one in

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

, and one in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Shoyeido also manages the store LISN in Kyōto since 2004, which is specifically designed for the customers unfamiliar with the world of incense.

Incense

Shoyeido carries several series of

. The two main series are the and the . The following tables are ordered from least expensive to most expensive. 250px, Half-size boxes: ''Sei-fū, Haku-un, Kyō-zakura, Kin-kaku'' 250px, Premium incense: ''Matsu-no-tomo, Ōja-kō, Kyō-jiman, Shun-yō, Mishō''

References

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External links