While my previous entries have stressed the Buddhist influence and religious usage of incense in Japan, this is misleading.  These factors have greatly led to the spread of incense, but the reason it is so predominant in Japan is because of Japanese culture, and Japanese culture being what it is, incense truly became what it is today due to our ( Read more... )

So yesterday we learned how incense is used in Buddhism. But not everyone in Japan is Buddhist. The vast majority of Japanese people would say that they aren't religious at all. So how do they use incense ( Read more... )

At last we arrive at the origin of incense's presence in Japan: Buddhism.  I mentioned before that much of incense's introduction within Japanese culture owed to it being sent over by Buddhist monks, and likewise, it is used in many aspects of Buddhism.  Japan does have a unique relationship with it, however, which I will briefly go into today.  ( Read more... )

There are many different varieties of incense used in Japan, which you may not be familiar with.  Once again, this area of interest was completely ignored by Lafcadio Hearn, and probably for very good reasons, but I still think the diversity in types of incense sold in Japan is pretty unique, especially because I've never seen many of them outside ( Read more... )

For today's entry, beginning a series on how incense (香, kō) is used in Japan, I think I should first give a bit of information on the history of incense.  A brief history, you will be pleased to know ( Read more... )

Fulfilling my first-ever request!  See, I do get around to them.  So I was asked to do my best to explain this:


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Long time no see!

Actually, I've half-started at least 8 entries that I was unable to concentrate on or complete, so they'll all probably be done around the same time and I'll get to posting them eventually.  But I put the work on them aside because I wanted to take a bit to just tell everyone what I've been up to, and some things I've been doing ( Read more... )

Finally we arrive at our third and final installment of my look into the Yoshitoshi prints used in Isshi's last photoshoot for Kagrra,.  I'd like to thank everyone for being so patient with this update, as well as to sutafairu for letting me use her scans of the photoset.  If you missed Part I, please read it here, and Part II can be found here.  ( Read more... )

Part II of my reviews on Isshi's last Kagrra, pamphlet, featuring the art of Yoshitoshi from "New Forms of 36 Ghosts".  If you missed Part I, please be sure to read it here.


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This entry marks the 100th edition of my journal!  While it is 100 entries, and not 100 years, perhaps it feels that way, and my journal will become a tsukumogami with a mind of its own, continuing to update by itself at random with wanton disregard for its readers and its own sanity.  As if it doesn't do that already.  But I've managed to time ( Read more... )