Japanese Kōdō

Kōdō (“the way of fragrance”) is one of the three traditional Japanese arts (alongside the tea ceremony and ikebana). It originated in the Muromachi period (14th–15th centuries) and is based on ritually “listening” to the scent of rare aloeswood (jinkō) within a small circle of participants. It also influences modern Japanese perfumery through its emphasis on subtlety, emptiness and precision.