Incense artifacts,
thousands of years old, have be found in throughout
the world, and appear to be a part of virtually
every culture. The connection between incense,
religions, medicine, it would be impossible
to separate them, or say which proceeded the
other. Historically it is difficult to trace
because it has always been largely an esoteric
and oral tradition evolving in relation to
both religion and medicine.
Incense has appeared in many forms: raw woods,
chopped herbs, pastes, powders, and even liquids
or oils.
Incense offers various effects. It purifies
air and sets their mind at ease.
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The history of incense
stretches farther back in time than any human
civilization. Indeed, it can be said to be
as old as fire itself. The burning of fragrant
woods such as cedar, pine and cypress, and
aromatic resins, roots, berries and other
natural materials constitutes the true origin
of incense. As these and other special substances
were singled out and their unique properties
distilled, the conscious
practice of incense was born.
The burning of incense is known to
have occured throughout the ancient world:
Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Egypt, India,
Greece, Rome… all consumed in great quantities.
References to incense are found in the ancient
Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh and feature prominently
in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
In the book of Exodus, for example, God
instructs Moses to build an altar of fragrant
cassia wood on which to burn a sacred mixture
of frankincense, sweet spices and other aromatic
substances. And in the Gospel of Luke
we read the story of "wise men from the
East" who present gifts of gold and incense
to the infant Jesus.
Indeed, the burning of incense features in
the practice of most of the world's religions,
past and present, and often proliferated as
they did. At about this time incense began to take
root in Japan, having arrived from China (along
with Buddhism and tea) during the 6th century.
Eventually, Japan would develop games, ceremonies
and even schools dedicated to the appreciation
of incense. During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) stick
incense was developed in China and quickly
mastered by the Japanese, who have come to
be regarded as the greatest practitioners
of the art in the world.
