Awaji-Baikundo – Jinko Hozan · 沈香宝山

This is the last one of the boxes that Povilas passed on to me in 2024 when he was cleaning up his collection.

I couldn’t find Jinko Hozan in the usual online shops. Povilas bought them on eBay back then.
Wa no Kaori (Japan) lists them under the name Agarwood Hozan. The 60g pack (like mine) costs €16.95.
The sticks are 5.5″ or 14 cm long and burn for about 30 minutes.

Jinko Hozan moved into my bedroom very early on, since I liked their smell best there. As a result, I took almost no notes on them, and they went unreviewed for a long time, even though their smell is actually quite simple.

Their scent has a relatively distinct, if rather general, agarwood character.
It’s a deep smell, balsamic, woody, with a dash of the savoury umami note that I find in many coreless agarwood incense sticks.
In my bedroom, the subtle sweetness of the scent profile seems to come through a bit stronger.
If I burn them in my living room, they smell a little smoky and I notice a herbal component, which becomes even more pronounced in warmer weather. This makes the scent a bit tarter.

I have to mention that Jinko Hozan tend to leave a slightly unpleasant after-smell if I burn a whole stick at once without enough air circulation. In my small bedroom, that happens pretty quickly. ¼ stick is absolutely sufficient and pleasant there.

I can understand why Povilas gave Jinko Hozan away: their scent isn’t very exciting. Compared to many other incense sticks in his collection, they’re simply boring, especially for an agarwood enthusiast like him.
As a background scent for everyday use, though, I do find them nice and (going by the Japanese price) worth their money. Thought, I wouldn’t want to pay the double or triple for them.