The Book of Incense: Enjoying the Traditional Art of Japanese Scents

Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource for Japanese incense lovers
Review: After using incense for many years I found Japanese incense is the best among all. They only use herbs, spice and wood without any sythetic materials. The scents are very subtle and pleasing.

This book takes you through the history of Japanese incense. Your find that the most comment joss stick incense only has one houndred year history. Before then, Japanese burn woodchips, kneaded incense and granulated incense. From this, the book of incense takes you to a wonderful world of koh-do, incense ceremony.

Maybe you have heard of tea ceremony before. Incense ceremony is even more poetic, elegant and fun. This book explain how the ceremony is set up with pictures of beautiful utensils and instruments.

If you are a incense lover and want to experience a higher level of enjoying incense, the book of incense is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: overrated
Review: I got a copy of this book for $2 used and that was the right price. It went on and on for pages about one little detail and didnt tell me anything I wanted to know. Save your money for some other book. Other books are better and talk about more than putting silver leaf on ashes. Puh! No cones just charcoal. No herbs just stuff that no american can find.

Like the others said this book is short and thats it only saving grace. find another book unless you live in japan.

Rating:
Summary: Kudos to Morita
Review: I recently found a hardback copy of this book and what a difference. I loved the paperback, but having the photos in color was a great improvement. Now I have a much better idea what the ingredients used in Japanese incense really look like.

I am sooooo! grateful to Kiyoko Morita for introducing me to Japanese incense. I had so many misconceptions about Japanese incense prior to reading this book. I always thought it was expensive, but I found out when you do the math it's really cheaper than most Joss stick type incense.

Recently I have started trying the Kodo method of burning pure aloes wood, and having my friends come over to play the incense games. It wasn't as difficult as I had been led to believe.

If you haven't read this book and you love aromatic things then you are in for a real treat. Do yourself a favor and don't miss the experience.

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction
Review: This book is a very quick read (unless you're an extremely poor reader - most people can easily read it twice in a day)and will give the reader a good overview of Japanese incense use. If you have never been exposed to Japanese incense burning, you are in for a treat.

If you are looking for an in-depth book about incense use or incense making, you might read other books first. It is still totally worthwhile to all incense users. Reading a good little book like this one is far better than listening to any Americans who fancy themselves experts on Japanese incense. Most such "experts" are actually incense sellers trying to pad their profits in any underhanded way possible. This book, in stark contrast, is the real deal.

I would also add that this book is worth its cover price and much more ... It is well written and, despite its short length, it deserves an honored place on any incense maker's or user's bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction
Review: This book is primarily on Japanese incense and the Japanese Incense Ceremony, it is not about incense in general and especially about "making incense."

There are really only two books in English on the subject, and I find promotions of other incense books not related to this subject personally objectionable and innapropriate.

The presentation is wonderful, and it is an excellent treatment of the subject for the English speaking reader. It should be of particular interest to those interested in the Japanese Incense ceremony.

Ms. Kiyoko Morita takes the reader on a wonderful tour of the history of the "Incense Culture" in Japan. She takes the complex and extensive subject of Kodo (The Way of Incense) and skilfully organizes the most important areas.

You may not master the art of kodo from reading this book, but all the information is there to learn how to enjoy incense prepared kodo style, as well as how to give an incense party, and begin understanding the associated culture.