Nippon Kodo – Ka-fuh – Hinoki

I got 6 of these sticks in an incense exchange in August 2024.

The woman with whom I’d swapped incense sticks this time drew my attention to the fact that Nippon Kodo apparently sell some sticks in multiple lines. She’d noticed parallels in the descriptions on Tierra Zen (who’ve belonged to the Nippon Kodo group since 2022 and seem to be something like their official distribution partner for Europe).
Furthermore, on the product pages of the Ka-fuh line, it’s pointed out that there are packs with 20 sticks, but these don’t appear within the line. However, with the corresponding varieties of the Koh Do line (which are only sold in packs with 20 sticks), there’s mention of larger packs that only exist in the Ka-fuh line.

Accordingly, there’s Ka-fuh – Hinoki in packs with 20 sticks (sold as Koh Do – Hinoki) for €3.80, 50 sticks (€6.50), 120 sticks (€9.90) and approximately 430 sticks (€29).
The sticks are about 14cm long and burn for 25-30 minutes.
They’re marketed as ‘smokeless’ incense sticks.

The prices mentioned above are from Tierra Zen, who are based in Spain. In German shops, you can find the packs of the Ka-fuh line from €5.90, for example at Ongnamo. My incense exchange partner bought them there.

Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is the Japanese cypress. In English, it’s often called ‘hinoki pine’ but that’s not botanically correct.

As far as ingredients are concerned, the description on Tierra Zen mentions hinoki wood as well as a ‘cypress essence’.
Furthermore, only the description of the Hinoki sticks in the Koh Do line mentions a ‘hint of olibanum’ (meaning frankincense) in addition, even though the sticks should be the same. Apart from that, the two descriptions are identical in content.

Unlit, Hinoki smell surprisingly perfumed. The smell reminds me of room fragrances and also a bit of toilet cleaner; it’s that fresh, clean fragrance that the sticks share with those products.

Lit, the fragrance is quite different but retains at least a small portion of the perfumed character.
I recognise the dry woodiness that’s by now familiar to me from other cypress and thuja incense sticks. Over that, though, lies a quite potent aroma that I find pungent. It’s a sort of mineral freshness that I’ve also smelt in other sticks, but here it seems very concentrated and potent. Diluted with enough fresh air, the smell actually feels fresh, cool and clear.

Hinoki seem strongly stylised to me; the smell doesn’t appear artificial, but also doesn’t reproduce a true-to-nature fragrance for me.
It’s like comparing a photo of a hinoki tree with a graphic of it: its strongest characteristics are portrayed in an exaggerated way to create an image one can easily recognise – and that’s how I perceive the fragrance of Hinoki.