Kodo (art)

In the VI century, in connection with the penetration into Japan from other Asian regions of various religious movements, various aromatic plants became widespread. Given the growing region, they received the following classification: chiara ( India ), manaka ( Malacca , Malaysia ), racoca (modern Thailand , Myanmar ), sumatra ( Sumatra ), manaban and sasora ( Southeast Asia ), each distinguished by its own specific aroma . Together with an additional five flavors (sweet can, sour dignity, sharp syn, salted can and bitter ku) they make up the so-called. rikkoku-gomi ( 六 国 五味 , "six countries - five tastes") ^[2] .

Over time, the popularity of kodo grew ^[3] . During the Kamakura period , Toko - a competition for guessing aromas - arose. The participants of the action, who had prepared their incense in advance, exchanged them and, after burning, in addition to evaluating the aromatic qualities, they had to choose the most appropriate names for them, related to verses of the waka genre, traditions, ancient literature ^[4] . During the Tokugawa period, the main literary monuments were written, covering theoretical knowledge concerning kodo - “Orchid Garden of Kodo Art” (1737) and “Plums of the humble home of Kodo art” (1748) ^[5] .

There are currently specialized kodo art schools. The largest of these are Oie-ryu and Sino-ryu ^[5] .

According to the method of use, seven types of incense are distinguished ^[6] :

1. Senko (incense sticks). They are the most common type of incense. They are divided into nioi-senko (sticks used for aesthetic purposes) and sugi-senko (sticks used to commemorate the dead).
2. Neriko (mixed incense). A variety of aromatic components mixed with honey and charcoal , rolled into balls and laid in hot ashes.
3. Koboku (aromatic wood). Small wooden plates exuding aroma when heated.
4. Dzuko (incense perfume). Powder made from various types of aromatic wood applied to the skin.
5. Inco (aromatic seals). Dried pressed aromatic components heated in hot ash.
6. Makko (aromatic crumb). Fine crumb from aromatic wood koboku.
7. Nioi-bukuro (aromatic bag). Cloth bags with aromatic components laid in them.

In the Middle Ages and modernity, the most popular substances used in kodo are: among products of plant origin - star anise , benzoic resin , borneol , cloves , camphor , cinnamon , frankincense , myrrh , backgammon , fenugreek and sandalwood , among animal products - kaiko ( powder from mollusk shells ) and musk ^[7] .

• Voitishek E. Э., Nikitina Ya. A. Art of co: before: (“the path of aroma”) in the traditional and modern culture of leisure in Japan // Bulletin of NSU. Series: History, Philology. - Novosibirsk: Novosibirsk State University, 2011. - T. 10 , no. 4: Oriental studies . - S. 130-138 . - ISSN 1818-7919 . Archived on March 10, 2015.

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