The quality of the incense is very much dependent on the quality of the raw materials used. Good ingredients are the foundation for good incense.
Starting the production of the pine and sandalwood nerikoh (a form of Japanese kneaded incense) I begin with collecting the pine resin. When making incense I try to process everything by hand. By avoiding electric blenders and commercial powders the complex and volatile compounds within the natural ingredients are better preserved. This means slowly scraping out the resin and fat wood from the channels with simple tools. It is a time consuming process but contributes towards a better result and end product.
Hardened pine resin formed into little gems.
Manually scraping and collecting the precious resin.
Fat wood with high concentration of resin
