Shoyeido (松榮堂、松栄堂), established in 1705 by Hata Rokuberi (a.k.a. Moriyoshi Rokuzaemon Hata and Rokubei Moritsune Hata ), an employee of Kyoto's Imperial Palace and an incense hobbyist, is one of the oldest incense companies in Japan. The company is based in Kyoto, with shops in five cities in Japan, and one in America. Shoyeido is credited for bringing incense to the Western world at the end of the 19th century.

History

The first Shoyeido shop at the corner of Nijo and Karasuma streets was set up in 1705 by members of the Hata family, who were previously employees of the Imperial royal court. Exports to the West started in 1894. Its first US office was set up in Boulder in 1990.

Name

The name "Shoyeido" (Shōeidō) is derived from the three characters Shō, Ei, and Dō. The Shō is from the traditional Sho Chiku Bai trio of shō (松 pine tree), chiku (竹 bamboo) and bai (梅 plum tree), which are used as a traditional Japanese grading system, to represent varying degrees of quality. In this grading system, shō represents the highest grade or quality.

Activities

Shoyeido had 140 employees and made $30 million in sales in 1999. It manufactures most of its products in a facility in Nagaoka-kyō. Il also owns an artisanal shop near Karasuma where it preserves the craftsmanship of incense-making and fills custom orders. Shoyeido still uses its +300 year old secret recipe for religious orders. Shoyeido is still a family business, today run by the twelfth generation of the Hata family. Shoyeido has several stores in Japan across five cities, including four in Kyōto, three in Tōkyō, one in Sapporo, and one in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Shoyeido also manages the store LISN in Kyōto since 2004, which is specifically designed for the customers unfamiliar with the world of incense.

Incense

Shoyeido carries several series of incense. The two main series are the "Daily Incense" series (京線香) and the "Premium Incense" series (高級線香). The following tables are ordered from least expensive to most expensive.