Shoyeido

{{Nihongo|Shoyeido|松榮堂、松栄堂|Shōeidō|lead=yes}}, established in 1705 by Hata Rokuberi ({{aka}} Moriyoshi Rokuzaemon Hata{{cite web|url=https://www.shoyeido.co.jp/english/aboutus/index.html|work=shoyeido.co.jp|title=Company History}} and Rokubei Moritsune Hata{{cite web|url=https://www.shoyeido.com/aboutus|work=shoyeido.com|title=About Us}}), an employee of Kyoto's Imperial Palace and an incense hobbyist, is one of the oldest incense companies in Japan.{{cite book|title=The Book of Incense: Enjoying the Traditional Art of Japanese Scents|author=Kiyoko Morita|publisher=Kodansha International|page=119|date= 30 Oct 2006}} The company is based in Kyoto,{{cite web |url=http://www.shoyeido.co.jp/english/aboutus/company_history/ |title=Company History |publisher=Shoyeido Incense Company |accessdate=2013-11-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110011937/http://www.shoyeido.co.jp/english/aboutus/company_history/ |archivedate=2013-11-10 }} 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.{{Cite news |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |date=8 July 2007 |title=Kyoto: LISN |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/travel/08foraging.html |access-date=15 March 2024 |work=The New York Times}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Waddell |first=David |date=1999-11-05 |title=Incense maker going strong 12 generations into business |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1999/11/05/national/incense-maker-going-strong-12-generations-into-business/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=The Japan Times |language=en}}

Its first US office was set up in Boulder in 1990.

Name

image:Shoyeido characters.gif

The name "Shoyeido" (Shōeidō) is derived from the three characters Shō, Ei, and Dō.

Shō means "Pine tree"
Ei is the ancient sound meaning "Prosperity"
Dō is a store or company.

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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9qAzEqX0yacC&pg=PT317|page=317|title=Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spellcasting|author=Judika Illes|publisher=Weiser Books|date= 1 Aug 2007|isbn=9781609252564 }} 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 {{nihongo|"Daily Incense" series|京線香|Kyō-senkō}} and the {{nihongo|"Premium Incense" series|高級線香|Kōkyū-senkō}}. The following tables are ordered from least expensive to most expensive.

image:Shoeido halfsize.png

image:Shoeido Premium.png

English	Japanese	Romaji
class="wikitable" \|+{{nihongo\|Daily Incense\|京線香\|Kyō-senkō}}
\| Great Origin	{{lang\|ja\|大元香}}	Daigen-kō
\| Eternal Treasure	{{lang\|ja\|寶永香}}	Hōei-kō
\| Orchid	{{lang\|ja\|蘭華}}	Ranka
\| Kyoto Autumn Leaves	{{lang\|ja\|京にしき}}	Kyō-nishiki
\| Moss Garden	{{lang\|ja\|のきば}}	Nokiba
\| Golden Pavilion	{{lang\|ja\|金閣}}	Kin-kaku
\| Kyoto Cherry Blossom	{{lang\|ja\|京桜}}	Kyō-zakura
\| Five Hills	{{lang\|ja\|五山}}	Go-zan
\| White Cloud	{{lang\|ja\|白雲}}	Haku-un
\| Circle	{{lang\|ja\|円明}}	En-mei
\| Fresh Breeze	{{lang\|ja\|清風}}	Sei-fū
colspan="3" \| Low smoke series
\| Silhouette	{{lang\|ja\|ほのか}}	Honoka
\| Gossamer	{{lang\|ja\|かすみ}}	Kasumi
\| Illusions	{{lang\|ja\|おぼろ}}	Oboro

English	Japanese	Romaji
class="wikitable" \|+{{nihongo\|Premium Incense\|高級線香\|Kōkyū-senkō}}
\| Friend of Pine	{{lang\|ja\|松の友}}	Matsu-no-tomo
\| King's Aroma	{{lang\|ja\|王奢香}}	Ōja-kō
\| Pride of Kyoto	{{lang\|ja\|京自慢}}	Kyō-jiman
\| Beckoning Spring	{{lang\|ja\|春陽}}	Shun-yō
\| Gentle Smile	{{lang\|ja\|微笑}}	Mishō
\| Southern Wind	{{lang\|ja\|南薫}}	Nan-kun
\| Refinement	{{lang\|ja\|雅芳}}	Ga-hō
\| Five Clouds	{{lang\|ja\|五雲}}	Go-un
\| Infinity	{{lang\|ja\|妙芳}}	Myō-hō
\| Translucent Path	{{lang\|ja\|正覚}}	Shō-kaku

References

External links

[http://www.shoyeido.co.jp Shoyeido website] (available in English and Japanese)

Category:1705 establishments in Japan

Category:Companies established in the 18th century

Category:Japanese incense companies

Category:Companies based in Kyoto