I am unaware of which company actually creates this Buddhist Temple incense blend for Sanjusangendo Temple, but the square type stick does sort of hint at a manufacturing process that may or may not be done off site. It’s also somewhat interesting to see one marketed outside of a company grouping and I think I must have come across this incense by rooting around in Japan Incense’s New products page. I’m sure I saw aloeswood and amber together and thought well now there’s a bit of a different combination.
Overall there’s really no deep aloeswood hit in Sanjusangendo Incense, it actually seems to act a bit more in the way of imparting a modern vibe to a traditional blend. My experience with Japanese temple blends in particular tends to make me feel they’re usually more traditional and a lot more rough and ready than more expensive and refined Japanese incenses, so it’s interesting to see one that actually is both more modern and refined. The amber is very noticeable on this one, which really sets it apart from, say, Reiryo Koh or something Shoyeido carries. When I first tried this incense I wasn’t even sure if I quite liked it. Sometimes you come at something with a particular context in mind and you almost have to kind of put that out of the way with this incense. At 70 sticks for about $24, it’s a little pricy for the pitch, but in this case I think this is as likely to be the amber aromatics as the aloeswood because as I implied there’s no real woodiness to this incense. It’s quite sweet overall and any aloeswood notes tend to play around the edges more. But there’s no question this is a nice one for sure. And as I’ve mentioned before I do really like the square cut and wonder if it helps to release the more full-bodied aroma you’d need with the amber.
Olfactory Rescue Service 
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