Making Scents of Smell: Manufacturing and Consuming Incense in Japan

The academic discourse on smell is characterised by a set of "myths," or "mode of signification," that cover a broad range of cultural, historical, linguistic, moral, physiological, racial, religious, sexual, social, and symbolic olfactory phenomena, and that include, in particular, smell as an undervalued sense, the articulation of smell, and its association with ritual practices. These myths frame the discussion of the processes by which incense is produced in Japan, as well as of the various challenges facing a manufacturer with regard to consistency of raw materials, kneading blended materials, and drying formed incense sticks. The article then concentrates on a group of incense manufacturers located on the western coast of Awaji Island in the Inland Sea of Japan, and suggests that it is access to, and successful management of, olfactory knowledge that enables a subcontracted supplier to become independent by producing his own incense brands. It concludes by tracing connections between smell, transition, transformation, and transience and draws a series of parallels between the symbolic and social uses of incense in contemporary Japanese society.