1,400 years ago, a large piece of aromatic wood washed ashore on Awaji Island in Japan. The locals noticed its incredible fragrance and offered the wood as a gift to the Imperial Family. This moment marked the beginning of Japan’s rich culture of incense.
Japan has a unique way of appreciating scents called monko—which means “listening to the fragrance.” It teaches that you must wait for the scent to come to you. As you breathe, the fragrance slowly drifts towards you. When this happens, you take the time to listen carefully, savoring every note. Monko is more than just smelling the fragrance—it’s about engaging all your senses to fully appreciate and understand it. It’s a practice that cleanses the mind and helps you reflect, using your sense of smell to observe both your body and spirit.
One of the leading companies in Japan’s incense culture is Shoeido. Founded in Kyoto in 1705, the founder, Hata, learned incense-making techniques while working at the Kyoto Imperial Palace. He began crafting delicate incense using the finest natural ingredients. He brought the palace’s secret fragrances to the public, offering fragrant lives to customers for over 320 years across 12 generations.
What’s remarkable about Shoeido is that it maintains its craftsmanship and heritage while continuously evolving with the times. You can see this at Shoeido’s Kunjukian Fragrance Museum.
As you enter Kunjukan, you’ll first notice a hanging box called the Kaori Box, which means “good fragrance” in Japanese. Inside, you’ll have a personal space to “listen” to Shoeido’s incense, fully immersing yourself in the experience.
Once you exit the Kaori Box, you can learn more about the raw materials. The museum provides detailed information about the history of incense, its various types, and the ingredients used.
You can then visit fragrance columns filled with the raw materials and experience their aromas. With every pump, the scent approaches you.
Walking further into the space, you’ll find a calm, serene area. Here, you can sit or approach the incense and quietly savor the fragrance. It’s impressive how a 300-year-old brand has managed to create such a modern and stylish environment.
The next section is a store space where you can explore hundreds of products. It’s a vibrant area, featuring various incense holders with themes ranging from traditional Japanese patterns to Disney characters.
In 1989, Shoeido launched a sub-brand called Lisn, inspired by the Japanese concept of monko. The name “Lisn” comes from the word “Listen,” symbolizing the modern twist on the traditional idea. Lisn offers contemporary designs and a more casual approach to fragrance.
Lisn’s concept is called Resonate, meaning “to echo” or “to reverberate.” This idea reflects in both their fragrances and product designs, seamlessly blending into daily life with a rhythmic, energetic flow.
For perfume lovers, the concept of “notes” will feel familiar. Created by British chemist and perfumer George William Septimus Piesse in the 19th century, the idea of “notes” compares fragrance to musical scales. Each fragrance note—top, middle, and base—plays a role in creating a harmonious scent.
The top notes are like high-pitched sounds, grabbing attention at first but fading quickly. The middle notes are like the melody’s core, lasting 2-3 hours and shaping the fragrance’s character. The base notes are the foundation, giving depth and lasting power to the fragrance.
Similar to how musical notes form chords, different fragrance notes come together to create a complete scent, known as an “accord.” Examples include floral accords, made from different flower scents, or woody accords, combining various wood fragrances.
Lisn draws inspiration from this concept by creating 8 incense scents (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do), each corresponding to one of the musical notes in a scale. Consumers can enjoy each note individually or combine them into fragrance “chords,” such as C major or F major, to create their own unique experience.
Lisn also offers impressive products, like scents inspired by the breath of trees or the autumn season.
For those new to incense, Lisn also sells sachets with various fragrances and packaging options.
I bought two fragrances and carry them with me in my bag.
Learning about monko culture and exploring Shoeido and Lisn stores helped me realize how fragrance brings rhythm and energy to our everyday lives. I’m excited to incorporate monko into my own life, using all my senses to “listen” to fragrances and embrace the positive energy they bring to my mind.