Ueda Sōko's Favoured Seisei 清静 Nerikō Kneaded Incense
YamadamatsuSeisei (清静) is a specialty nerikō (練香 - kneaded incense) recipe that is a reproduction of samurai teaist Ueda Sōko’s favoured incense, as described in a historical manuscript at Wafūdō, the home of the Ueda Sōko school of tea ceremony. Befitting a warrior chajin, the aroma is sharp, punchy, and ethereal.
Nerikō can be used to perfume a room with the soradaki (空薫) technique using charcoal and ash. Alternatively, they may be heated on an electric incense heater (slightly flattening the nerikō will help it heat better on electric heaters).
Each box contains 15g of incense.
This Japanese item ships from the United States.
Sometimes called takimono (薫物) kneaded incense is made by mixing powdered aromatic ingredients honey or ume plum flesh as a binder, to form a kind of incense dough. This is then cut and rolled into balls the size of peas, and often aged. These balls are then placed on top of ash in an incense censer (kōro- 香炉) and heated in using the sora-daki technique (see here). This style of incense was popularised in the 8th century and mentioned in theTale of Genji. In this time, it was popular for nobles to use it to perfume their clothes, with everyone having their own personalised scent. Today, nerikō is regularly used in the tea ceremony, where it is placed in the charcoal hearth in the winter time to perfume the space and set an ambience in the tea room.
As nerikō is moist, it should be kept in an airtight container. If the incense dries out, it can be revived placing a small amount of water or slightly thinned honey in a shallow plate and swirling the incense around in it, making sure all the pieces are evenly coated.
Founded in 1772, Yamadamatsu Kōboku-ten (山田松香木店) is one of Japan's most respected incense houses. As their name suggests, they have long specialised in kōboku - the aromatic woods of sandalwood, aloeswood, and kyara which form the heart of Japanese incense culture. Their original recipes lean heavily on the exquisite quality of their raw ingredients and the ingenuity and creativity with which they combine them to form unforgettable aromas.