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Kawara roof tiles, Kyoto's incense industry, antique shop owner interview

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Two kawara tile demon heads at a Kyoto Zen temple.

Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

Japan's kawara roof tiles: symbols, demons, and fish!

Roof tiles were introduced into Japan in the 6th century. The first buildings to be extensively tiled were temples, and the expression kawara-buki (tiled roof) became a common term of reference for them. The tiles were fired using pine wood or pine needles for fuel; the carbon produced in the process settling on the surface and then penetrating it, turning the tiles a silver-gray color. They were rubbed with a very fine clay powder to polish them before firing, and after firing varnished with mica powder to seal them.

The round ends of eave tiles either have the name of the temple or crests on them, which sometimes serve to establish the period in which the temple was founded. The two most common are the renge mon (lotus crest) from the Heian Period and the tomoe mon (yin yang crest) from the Kamakura Period.

On the roofs of some temple gates and castles, you may notice pairs of tiles that are shaped like fish but have the heads of dragons. These are called shachihoko and were put there to protect the building from fire.

Horrific-looking tiles were originally placed on the northeast corners of temples to protect the buildings from demons coming through the Demon Gate situated in that direction. Now these oni-gawara (demon tiles) can usually be seen on two ends of the roofs of most temples.

To frighten evil away from private dwellings, the Japanese place a small earthenware figure known as Shoki on their roofs. There are many in Kyoto, especially on the roofs of old buildings. The figure wears a hat, carries a sword in his right hand and sometimes rides on a lion. You can occasionally see demons peeping out from under his hat and his robes.

Shoki was originally a Chinese student named Chung Kwei, who failed the Imperial examinations in the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. He was so upset about this that he committed suicide, and when the Emperor heard of it, he had him buried with high honors. Legend has it that some time later when demons stole the Emperor's flute, the spirit of Chung Kwei returned as Shoki, the Demon Queller, to catch them. He gave back the flute and vowed to the Emperor to remain forever engaged in the expulsion of demons from China.

Kyoto’s incense industry, source of unbelievable fragrances

For the Westerner, thoughts of incense invariably conjure up images of the 60s, India, and probably, in recent years, the New Age Movement. In Asia, however, incense is strongly linked with the rites of death and Buddhism on the one hand, and refinement and soothing serenity on the other.

When incense was first introduced to Japan from China with Buddhism in the early Tang period, it was available in powder form only. Made from the bark and wood of certain trees it was in small quantities on a bed of coals kept hot in a brazier.

Later in the Tang dynasty, the Buddhist monk Ganjinwajo brought incense paste, made of a mixture of several ingredients, to Japan. Since that time, incense sticks formed from this paste have been the standard used in temples, in front of graves, and on the family alter. Incense used in such situations is referred to as senko.

The use of incense for personal pleasure and as a means of creating a special atmosphere, which dates from aristocratic Heian period (794-1185), is known as oko. As one would expect, the scents associated with these two ways of using incense are distinctly different — senko being more pungent and heavy, while oko is sweeter and much more subtle. Oko has always had a special place in Japanese culture, and was especially common in daily life until the turn of the century.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), special scents were used to welcome certain guests, and people carried a tiny silk bag of incense inside their kimono as a subtle form of self-expression.

In recent years the use of oko, as a way to reduce stress and enter a quieter more spiritual space, has made a considerable comeback. As is true of so many traditional industries, Kyoto is the center of the Japanese incense industry. Japanese incense, which is regarded by many to be the finest in the world, comes in many forms and styles. The best is made from 100% natural materials and has a sophistication that is beyond words. It is subtle to the point of surprise and has the unique effect of calming a busy mind, the frantic heart, and leading the confused soul to sweeter, simpler lands. Smell more!

Kungyoku-do: Japan's oldest incense shop

Japan’s oldest incense shop, Kungyoku-do was founded in 1594 across the way from the Nishihongan-ji Temple complex, one of Kyoto's oldest and most historically important temples. As the present owner (21st generation) Mr Yoshio Ouno humorously relates, there was a time when Kungyoku-do was so successful that the family had to make a choice between selling incense or lending money to the monks. Today, they continue to supply Nishihongan-ji with the significant amounts of incense it uses every day, as well as offering a range of fine traditional incense products for daily life. Although the personal use of incense has fallen off in modern times, Kungyoku-do continues to offer incense based only on traditional methods and scents. All their products use only natural ingredients. They also hold incense workshops in which they teach how incense should be used and appreciated (reservation required). Kungyoku-do is located across from Nishihongan-ji Temple on Horikawa. Open 9:00 - 18:00. Closed 1st and 3rd Sundays. Tel: 371-0162.

Shoeido: Incense creativity at its very best

Founded in 1705, Shoeido is well known as one of the finest incense makers in Japan. They became the first exporter of Japanese incense with their participation in the 1898 world exposition in Chicago, and were also the first company in Japan to produce perfumed incense. The 11th generation head of Shoeido, Mr Shigetaro Hata, is a well known figure in Kyoto for his innovative and sophisticated approach to incense culture and traditions. In his words — "Incense is a clearly apparent and important aspect of Buddhist ceremonies, traditional Japanese arts such as the tea ceremony, and the daily ancestor rituals practiced in everyday life. However, to respond to the demands of western-style, urban living, a fresh approach to incense is essential." In addition to their beautiful retail environment, Shoeido has a space where tea ceremony and flower arrangement classes, as well classes in the use of incense are held. They also sell videos and books on the subject of incense. Located on the east side of Karasuma north of Nijo. Open 9:00 - 19:00. Tel: 212-2307.

Yamada-Matsu Koboku-ten: Japan's largest incense ingredient wholesaler

Founded in the Kansei period (1789-1801) as a dealer in traditional herbal medicines (kampo), Yamada-Matsu Kobuku-ten is a specialist in the use and ways of obtaining special natural materials, and the largest wholesaler and importer of incense making materials in Japan. They also make a fine range of incense products — both traditional and modern. The current head (7th generation) of the company, Mr Hideo Yamada, believes that it is very important for today's society to rediscover the traditional uses of incense as a form of relief from hectic modern day life. Their ‘Blue Planet’ series — Mirage, Aurora, Comet, and Rainbow — was selected as the best designed domestic product in Kyoto in 1994. Their Walt Disney liscensed ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Pocahontas’ brands have also proven popular. They retail through Kyoto boutiques, and their own Tokyo outlet — Kagado. Located a little west of the Old Imperial Palace. Open 9:00 - 17:00. Closed Sundays and national holidays. Tel: 441-4694 Fax: 431-7879. (Their Tokyo shop, Kagado, is located a few minutes from Roppongi station Tel: 03-3452-0351).

A Talk with Yoshie Ishii, antique shop owner

This interview with Yoshie Ishii took place in November, 2001 in Yoshie's fine antique shop, Azzurro. The shop is part of a large, deep machiya townhouse, which are protected in Kyoto. Unfortunately, Azzuro is no longer, but the interview is interesting all the same. FYI: I am an amateur collector of old things and few countries offer the exotic flow of old things like Japan. I looked over the antiques at Azzuro in the 1990s weekly as my office at the Kyoto Visitor's Guide was just up the street. In fact, my office was two doors up from an old forgotten ryokan where Akira Kurosawa used to write fast and furious for his films (filmed on location in Kyoto and at the the prestigious Toei Eigamura Movie Village, on the west side of Kyoto; which is still a popular tourist attraction for all the right reasons including samurai entertainment and killer backdrops. Learn more!

YJPT: Your house, which you are now using as an antique and pottery shop on weekends, is incredible. What’s its history?

YI: The house, a typical machiya or merchant’s home, was built at the end of the Edo period [1600-1868]. The front part of the building was where the merchant sold things. The second floor was for storing merchandise. The merchant family lived on the ground floor behind the shop area. In this way, houses like this were places to do both business and to live.

The previous resident of this house was a doctor. He ran a clinic out of the front of the building. A few years ago, the doctor’s daughter came by and was amazed that the interior was unchanged, except for the kitchen. She’s in her 70s now. She told me that the clinic waiting room was there, that the reception room was there . . . and that as a girl she practiced Japanese dance in this room. After leaving this house she lived in many different places throughout Japan. Now, she lives near here again. I was so pleased to hear about the history of this house from her.

YJPT: Was the big open garden area out back always there?

YI: No. That area used be where a big two-story kura [a white-washed, thick-walled, fireproof storehouse for valuables] stood. Even though the kura was in perfect shape [they are built to last hundreds of years], we tore it down in 1970s.

YJPT: Why did you tear it down?

YI: You won’t believe this, but we tore it down because a neighbor on the back side of it kept having nightmares about it falling down, even though the building was in perfect shape. He had the same dream over and over, night after night, and couldn’t sleep. So my mother decided to tear it down.

YJPT: So your family started living in this house after the war?

YI: Yes, in the 1950’s. My father wanted to start a company here. Unfortunately, soon after my parents bought the place, my father died. In those days, many families rented out the storage area on the second floor of homes like this to students. After my father passed away, we did the same. Many people spent their students days living in this house. We rented the front part of the house, the part that used to be the doctor’s clinic, to a textile company.

Years later, we would occasionally have a sudden visitor: one of our former student boarders, who would be passing by with his family. Before coming to pay their respects, they would often point in nostalgic pride and surprise at our house and say: “That’s where your father [or I] lived in his university days.” Many were absolutely amazed that the place was still standing and that we were still living there.

YJPT: What kind of work did you do?

YI: I worked at Kyoto University assisting professors with research projects and so on. I was always doing several different jobs at the same time.

YJPT: You are also a published novelist. How long have you been writing for?

YI: I majored in journalism at university. After I graduated I continued to have a strong interest in social matters and the way people think. I chose to express this interest through the forms of expression common to non-fiction and fiction writing. While I was still working at Kyoto University, I wrote scripts for manzai comedies and was active in many other forms of writing. I want to write naturally about the results of the things that I think about.

I published my first novel a few years ago. Its subject matter was too severe and controversial to become popular. But I think that it is very important to write about such matters. In the future, I want to write about local and social matters in fiction and nonfiction in such a way as to express the thoughts of people of people living now.

YJPT: Why are you selling antique pottery, glass, lacquer and old kimono?

YI: I love this house and I always have. But for a long time there was a difference of opinion within my family regarding the future of this house. In the end, it was decided that I would be allowed preserve the house.

As a result of this decision, I thought for a long time about how to best maintain the house in the future. In the end, I thought the best thing would be to open the house to others so that I could hear their opinions. The taxes for this house are very high and this was also something that I had to face.

Since this house was built to be a place of business, a place to sell things, I thought it would be best to keep it alive in the same way. So I decided to make the house into a shop on Saturdays and Sundays. I started selling a few things out front. On weekdays, I selected pottery and antiques. I gradually expanded the shop space: on the stairs, in the small garden area, in the living room, the guest room . . . until the whole first floor was full. Things have gone well. I am so pleased that people like my taste for blue glass and ceramics. Azzurro means blue in Italian.

YJPT: How did you become interested in antiques?

YI: I studied traditional woodworking for a few years. Japanese craftsmen make things very carefully and use only the finest materials, and this also taught me a lot . In this way, I naturally became interested in all kinds of Japanese traditional arts and their antique forms. Most of the things here are beautiful and affordable.

I now get very excited when I find old tools and objects that were part of daily life in old times but which are no longer used today. Things that have passed through many people lives and have lived for a long time have a special charm.

YJPT: Are you going to change the house in the future?

YI: I am thinking about opening the house up more by changing the old students’ rooms upstairs into studios. I would also like to open the house, as a living space, to a musician or other performer. And I want to plant more plants in the garden.

YJPT: What is your philosophy for selecting pieces?

YI: There are two kinds of pottery. One is called “sakka-mono,” which are one-of-a-kind pieces produced by individual artists. These are usually signed and rather expensive. The other kind is called “kobo-mono.” These kinds of works are generally produced in quantity and associated with a certain area such a Kutani or Arita. A I love both types and what to display both. Most shops show only one or the other.

I choose what interests me. I get new things by going directly to the artist. But I don’t display their pieces in any special way. I mix them with everything else because I don’t want people to choose something just because it has a reputation. When someone buys an artist’s piece, I give them the information about the artist, etc. when I package it.

YJPT: What do you like about Kyoto?

YI: I love Kyoto’s seasonal events. For example I love the July Gion Festival. And though I love the float procession on the 17th, I especially enjoy the preparations for the event and the local flavor. I also like to walk around Kyoto on New Year’s eve and see people cleaning or decorating their houses .

My favorite area is around Yoshidayama and Shinnyo-do Temple. My father’s grave is there. We visit his grave every season. I also go there a lot on my own to wander around the age-old lost world of ancient Kyoto.

Content by Japan travel specialist & designer Ian Martin Ropke, founder & owner of Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT, est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with all of YJPT's Japan private tour clients and have a great team behind me. I promote YJPT through this content and only advertise at www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip to save time & have a better time. Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search) is also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!