Japanese incense appreciation moved from a religious import to a codified art over several centuries, formalised into structured schools with their own etiquette during the Muromachi period, around the same time tea ceremony was being similarly refined.

From Buddhist Ritual to Court Pastime

Incense arrived in Japan alongside Buddhism in the sixth century, used first for religious ceremony and purification. By the Heian period, the aristocracy had turned it into a refined pastime — nobles blended their own incense recipes and played identification games such as genji-kō, where guests tried to name a sequence of different incense blends purely by scent.

Formal Schools and Lasting Etiquette

Under the Ashikaga shogunate during the Muromachi period, this appreciation was organised into structured schools with formal rules of conduct, utensils and etiquette, turning what had been an aristocratic hobby into a genuine discipline — kōdō — that survives with active practitioners today. It grew from the same reverence for agarwood that underpins oud across Middle Eastern and Asian perfumery alike, even though the traditions developed independently. You will find more on how fragrance customs evolved worldwide in our history of perfume guide, part of the wider complete guide to perfume.