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AS WE ARE
IN PRAISE OF NATURE 自然礼讃
原始的な道具であり、それは自然に還る時間。
わたしたちは自然の力を知っている。土、水、植物すべての力を知っている。
そして人の手の知恵を知っている。
無為自然の所作。足るを知る豊かさ。在るがままに。 A primitive tool ― a moment to return to nature.
We know the power of nature.
We know the power of earth, water, and plants.
And the wisdom of our hands.
A ritual in praise of nature.The richness of knowing contentment. As we are.

WHO IS OUD

WORD OF MOUTH

魂の食べ物、香木

お香を焚き、心や空間を整える所作に慣れるほど、嗅覚はより自然な香りを求める。自然な香りであるほどに体は素直に反応し、呼吸はより深くなる。最も原始的なお香は、香り高い香木を切り出して焚いたことから始まった。香道の書にもあるように、香木は「魂の食べ物」とも呼ばれ、心や精神に働きかける神秘的な生薬とされる。日本史上の名将たちも、戦の前には精神統一として、香木の煙を兜に焚き染め、香りを身に纏った。奈良・正倉院に秘蔵される名香「蘭奢待（らんじゃたい）」に象徴されるように、その希少さゆえ香木は権力や富の象徴でもあった。

Incense wood,
the Food of the Soul

As one becomes accustomed to the ritual of burning incense to settle mind and space, the more the sense of smell seeks out natural fragrances. The more natural the scent, the more honestly the body responds, and the breath becomes deeper. The earliest form of incense began simply by cutting and burning fragrant aromatic woods. As written in texts on the Way of Incense, aromatic woods are referred to as “the food of the soul,” regarded as mysterious natural medicines that influence the mind and spirit. The great generals of Japanese history to scent their helmets with the smoke of aromatic woods before battle, using the fragrance to center their minds. As symbolized by the famed incense wood “Ranjatai” preserved at the UNESCO world heritage site Shōsōin repository within Nara prefecture, the rarity of incense woods also made them great symbols of power and wealth.

沈　　　香

香木の中で最も希少とされる沈香（Oud/Agarwood）。仏教の開祖、釈迦が紀元前5世紀の生前に好んで焚いた香りとしても語り継がれる。原木の沈丁花科アキラリア属の常緑高木は、東南アジアの熱帯雨林地域にのみ生息する。この木が、風雨、害虫、動物の爪とぎなどで樹木に傷を負ったときに樹脂を分泌する。このタール状の樹脂が木の内部に沈着、蓄積して、数十年から数百年という時間をかけて熟成したものだけが「香木（沈香）」となる。香木に熟成するまで最低でも50年もの時間がかかり、未開拓の山奥に生息するため、年を追うごとにその希少性を増し、市場では年々高値で取引される。

Oud

Among all incense woods, agarwood—known as Oud—is considered of the rarest. It is said that Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, favored its fragrance during his lifetime in the 5th century BCE. The source tree, an evergreen of the Aquilaria genus in the Thymelaeaceae family, grows only in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. When the tree is wounded by wind, rain, insects, or animals scratching its bark, it secretes a resin as a natural defense. Over decades—sometimes centuries—this tar-like resin gradually accumulates within the wood. Only wood that has matured through this long process becomes what is known as incense wood. Because it takes at least fifty years to form and the trees grow deep in remote forests, oud has become increasingly rare over time and is traded at high value in markets throughout the world.

魂の食べ物、香木

お香を焚き、心や空間を整える所作に慣れるほど、嗅覚はより自然な香りを求める。自然な香りであるほどに体は素直に反応し、呼吸はより深くなる。最も原始的なお香は、香り高い香木を切り出して焚いたことから始まった。香道の書にもあるように、香木は「魂の食べ物」とも呼ばれ、心や精神に働きかける神秘的な生薬とされる。日本史上の名将たちも、戦の前には精神統一として、香木の煙を兜に焚き染め、香りを身に纏った。奈良・正倉院に秘蔵される名香「蘭奢待（らんじゃたい）」に象徴されるように、その希少さゆえ香木は権力や富の象徴でもあった。

Incense wood,
the Food of the Soul

As one becomes accustomed to the ritual of burning incense to settle mind and space, the more the sense of smell seeks out natural fragrances. The more natural the scent, the more honestly the body responds, and the breath becomes deeper. The earliest form of incense began simply by cutting and burning fragrant aromatic woods. As written in texts on the Way of Incense, aromatic woods are referred to as “the food of the soul,” regarded as mysterious natural medicines that influence the mind and spirit. The great generals of Japanese history to scent their helmets with the smoke of aromatic woods before battle, using the fragrance to center their minds. As symbolized by the famed incense wood “Ranjatai” preserved at the UNESCO world heritage site Shōsōin repository within Nara prefecture, the rarity of incense woods also made them great symbols of power and wealth.

沈　　　香

香木の中で最も希少とされる沈香（Oud/Agarwood）。仏教の開祖、釈迦が紀元前5世紀の生前に好んで焚いた香りとしても語り継がれる。原木の沈丁花科アキラリア属の常緑高木は、東南アジアの熱帯雨林地域にのみ生息する。この木が、風雨、害虫、動物の爪とぎなどで樹木に傷を負ったときに樹脂を分泌する。このタール状の樹脂が木の内部に沈着、蓄積して、数十年から数百年という時間をかけて熟成したものだけが「香木（沈香）」となる。香木に熟成するまで最低でも50年もの時間がかかり、未開拓の山奥に生息するため、年を追うごとにその希少性を増し、市場では年々高値で取引される。

Oud

Among all incense woods, agarwood—known as Oud—is considered of the rarest. It is said that Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, favored its fragrance during his lifetime in the 5th century BCE. The source tree, an evergreen of the Aquilaria genus in the Thymelaeaceae family, grows only in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. When the tree is wounded by wind, rain, insects, or animals scratching its bark, it secretes a resin as a natural defense. Over decades—sometimes centuries—this tar-like resin gradually accumulates within the wood. Only wood that has matured through this long process becomes what is known as incense wood. Because it takes at least fifty years to form and the trees grow deep in remote forests, oud has become increasingly rare over time and is traded at high value in markets throughout the world.

STRING OF BEADS

“大地の記憶” 35N,138E

私たちは、香りが一瞬で懐かしい情景や感情の記憶を呼び覚ますあの感覚を、お香を通じて表現できないかと模索していた。そんな折、香司アーティストの岡田愛里さんに出会う。彼女は日本各地を旅し、その土地で自然物を採取するフィールドワークを通して、天然のお香を制作している。「香りには、気候の重なりや土地の出来事などの記憶が宿っているはず」。その探求の信念に深く共感し、嗅覚と記憶の結びつきに導かれるように、共に香りを創る旅が始まった。
最初のフィールドワークの地に選んだのは富士山。古くから神々が宿る山として崇められてきた日本の霊峰であり、山岳信仰文化を象徴する場所だ。その周辺には神社や湧水の採水地、火山活動によって形成された洞窟などが点在する。大地の力が強く感じられるそれらの場所を選び、自然物を採取した。
この「大地の記憶」シリーズは、製品ごとに異なる土地をテーマに取り上げる。それぞれの土地で採取した自然物に、香木や天然香料を合わせて一本一本丁寧にお香に仕立てる。この香りに身を委ね、心静かに深呼吸をすれば、懐かしい記憶の断片に触られるかもしれない。喜び、切なさ、寂しさ、あるいは静寂に包まれた安らぎ…。この香りを道しるべに、心の内を巡る自由な旅へ。

“Memory of the Land” 35N,138E

We had been seeking a way to express, through incense, that familiar sensation in which a fragrance instantly awakens scenes and emotions from memory. It was during this exploration that we encountered incense artist Airi Okada. In her travels throughout Japan,　she thoughtfully gathers natural materials from each region through fieldwork and crafts incense made entirely from natural ingredients. Sharing her belief that “within a fragrance, there must be memories of climate, layers of time, and the events of a place,” we deeply resonated with her approach to exploring the relationship between land and scent. Guided by the deep connection between smell and memory, our journey to create fragrance together began.
For our first fieldwork, we chose Mt. Fuji, a sacred mountain long revered as the dwelling place of the Gods and a symbol of Japan’s mountain worship tradition. The surrounding area is dotted with shrines, spring water sources, and caves formed by volcanic activity. Together we selected places where the power of the earth could be strongly felt and gathered natural materials there from this sacred source.
In the “Memory of the Land” series, each product focuses on a different landscape. Natural materials collected from each location are blended with aromatic woods and natural fragrances, with every stick of incense carefully crafted by hand. As you surrender to the fragrance and breathe quietly and deeply, you may encounter fragments of your own memories—joy, longing, sadness, or a tranquil sense of peace. Let this scent be your guide on a freeing journey through the landscape of your inner world.

“大地の記憶” 35N,138E

私たちは、香りが一瞬で懐かしい情景や感情の記憶を呼び覚ますあの感覚を、お香を通じて表現できないかと模索していた。そんな折、香司アーティストの岡田愛里さんに出会う。彼女は日本各地を旅し、その土地で自然物を採取するフィールドワークを通して、天然のお香を制作している。「香りには、気候の重なりや土地の出来事などの記憶が宿っているはず」。その探求の信念に深く共感し、嗅覚と記憶の結びつきに導かれるように、共に香りを創る旅が始まった。
最初のフィールドワークの地に選んだのは富士山。古くから神々が宿る山として崇められてきた日本の霊峰であり、山岳信仰文化を象徴する場所だ。その周辺には神社や湧水の採水地、火山活動によって形成された洞窟などが点在する。大地の力が強く感じられるそれらの場所を選び、自然物を採取した。
この「大地の記憶」シリーズは、製品ごとに異なる土地をテーマに取り上げる。それぞれの土地で採取した自然物に、香木や天然香料を合わせて一本一本丁寧にお香に仕立てる。この香りに身を委ね、心静かに深呼吸をすれば、懐かしい記憶の断片に触られるかもしれない。喜び、切なさ、寂しさ、あるいは静寂に包まれた安らぎ…。この香りを道しるべに、心の内を巡る自由な旅へ。

“Memory of the Land” 35N,138E

We had been seeking a way to express, through incense, that familiar sensation in which a fragrance instantly awakens scenes and emotions from memory. It was during this exploration that we encountered incense artist Airi Okada. In her travels throughout Japan,　she thoughtfully gathers natural materials from each region through fieldwork and crafts incense made entirely from natural ingredients. Sharing her belief that “within a fragrance, there must be memories of climate, layers of time, and the events of a place,” we deeply resonated with her approach to exploring the relationship between land and scent. Guided by the deep connection between smell and memory, our journey to create fragrance together began.
For our first fieldwork, we chose Mt. Fuji, a sacred mountain long revered as the dwelling place of the Gods and a symbol of Japan’s mountain worship tradition. The surrounding area is dotted with shrines, spring water sources, and caves formed by volcanic activity. Together we selected places where the power of the earth could be strongly felt and gathered natural materials there from this sacred source.
In the “Memory of the Land” series, each product focuses on a different landscape. Natural materials collected from each location are blended with aromatic woods and natural fragrances, with every stick of incense carefully crafted by hand. As you surrender to the fragrance and breathe quietly and deeply, you may encounter fragments of your own memories—joy, longing, sadness, or a tranquil sense of peace. Let this scent be your guide on a freeing journey through the landscape of your inner world.

DAILY TOOLS

AS WE ARE
IN PRAISE OF NATURE

自然礼讃

photography hiroko matsubara