History of incense
The history of incense sticks can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Nowadays, it is generally believed that they evolved from incense seals, which were primarily used for timekeeping. Incense seals are also known as seal incense or incense script and are made purely from powdered incense and molds without the addition of any binders. The book “Xiang Cheng” (The Incense Companion) by Zhou Jiazhong records: “In the year of Xining Gui Chou (1073 AD), Mei Xi first created the hundred-mark incense seal to measure day and night.” The “hundred-mark incense seal” mentioned herein refers precisely to this type of timekeeping device.
What is the connection between Japanese incense and Chinese incense?
The term ‘incense’ had already appeared during the Ming Dynasty. Li Shizhen, in his renowned medical work ‘Compendium of Materia Medica’ , mentioned, ‘Nowadays there are many ways to compound incense, but only incense sticks can be used for wound care,’ indicating that the term ‘incense’ was already in use at that time. The incense sticks commonly seen today often belong to the category of ‘Japanese incense sticks,’ with the manufacturing techniques of Japanese incense sticks also being introduced from China. The earliest historical records date back to the fifth year of Kyōhō (1720 AD) in ‘Nagasaki Night Conversations’ , which mentions a Japanese individual named Goshima Kazushige who came from Fuzhou, China, and began teaching people in Nagasaki how to manufacture incense sticks. Incense sticks quickly gained popularity among Japanese literati and tea enthusiasts due to their free and ethereal quality, evoking associations of transcending the mundane world and seclusion; thus they were also called ‘immortal incense’ . Zen Master Mujaku Dōshin (1653-1745 AD), a prominent Japanese monk, edited the ‘Ch’an Forest Image Utensil Notes’ , where he refers to or speaks of immortal incense as mixed with various fragrances and pasted together. Its smoke lasts long, hence it is called immortal incense, also known as longevity incense. It is made slender like a thread, therefore it is called an incense stick.”
The origins of incense sticks can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD).
Initially, incense sticks evolved from “hundred-mark incense” (also known as seal incense or printed incense), which was used for timekeeping. Over time, they gradually developed into various uses, including ritual offerings, ancestor worship, and daily life.
The renowned Ming Dynasty physician Li Shizhen documented the medicinal use of “incense sticks” in his seminal work, Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu). In the book, he writes: “Today, there are many methods to compound incense, but only incense sticks can be used in wound treatment. The ingredients vary in proportion but generally include angelica root (bai zhi), dipsacus (du huo), spikenard (gan song), kaempferia (san nai), clove (ding xiang), patchouli (huo xiang), ligusticum (gao ben), Alpinia officinarum (gao liang jiang), fennel (xiao hui xiang), forsythia (lian qiao), rhubarb (da huang), scutellaria (huang qin), and phellodendron (huang bai), among others. These are ground into a powder and mixed with elm bark flour to form a paste.”
During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen used incense sticks to treat various skin conditions and fungal infections by burning them in an incense burner and inhaling the smoke through the nose.
Incense in Ancient Paintings
The artwork from each dynasty offers a realistic glimpse into the lives of the people during those times. By examining these ancient paintings, we can gain insight into the role that incense played in their daily lives. Notably, paintings from the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties all depict incense shops, underscoring the continuous importance and prevalence of incense in Chinese society.
In the painting, a shop named “Liu Family Premium Scented Agarwood and Sandalwood Selection” can be seen, with the sign above its entrance reading “Liu Family Agarwood and Sandalwood Powder and Pill Shop.” This indicates that the shop specialized in various incense products, including agarwood, sandalwood, premium frankincense (拣香, which refers to high-quality frankincense), incense pills, and incense powder. During the Song Dynasty, incense was commonly made by grinding various aromatic ingredients into powder and then mixing them with refined honey to form incense pills.
The Song Dynasty poet Wei Xiang wrote in his poem Five Poems on Early Summer Feelings:
“As summer days grow longer and civic duties become lighter, I quietly open my yellow scrolls and burn incense pills.”
This verse describes the author’s tranquil moments of study while burning incense pills during the long summer days, reflecting a leisurely lifestyle and cultural refinement.
In contrast, the incense sticks commonly used today were not developed until the Yuan Dynasty and only became popular during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, continuing their prevalence to this day.
In the painting, it is clear that incense sticks had become very popular by that time. In Qiu Ying’s Ming Dynasty rendition of Along the River During the Qingming Festival, the incense shop prominently displays incense sticks as its primary product. A sign hanging outside the shop advertises “Premium 800 High Incense,” while two shop assistants are depicted drying freshly made incense sticks and coiled incense in front of the store.
In Along the River During the Qingming Festival, one can observe a scene depicting an incense shop whose sign boasts “Finest Quality Agarwood, Sandalwood, and Various Renowned Incenses Including Frankincense.” The illustration teems with customers, many of whom are seen exiting the shop with bundles of ready-made incense sticks in hand. To the right of the establishment, an open space serves as a drying area for the newly produced incense sticks. From this depiction, it is evident that by the Qing Dynasty, incense sticks had become indispensable items found in households across the country.