A close-up, slightly high-angle shot captures a person participating in Kōdō, the traditional Japanese art of appreciating incense. The person, wearing a dark olive-green patterned kimono, is shown from the chest down. Their hands are the focus as they use a thin metal tool to meticulously arrange white ash inside a small, pale green ceramic incense burner (koro). The scene is set on a table covered with a vibrant, multi-colored fabric featuring traditional Japanese floral and geometric patterns in shades of red, gold, green, and black. To the right of the burner sits a square black lacquer tray containing small purple slips of paper, and a single purple tool rest sits behind the burner. The background is softly blurred, showing the warm wood and paper of a traditional shoji screen, creating a quiet and contemplative atmosphere.

Kumikō Incense Game 香りの聞き比べ組香ゲーム

Instructor

Hitomi Tōkō Ginnan  銀杏董香先生
(English/日本語)

In Partnership with The Dojin Japanese Arts Society.

Date & Time

Sunday, May 31, 2026

  • 1:00-2:30pm
  • 3:00-4:30pm

Fee & Registration

$40 + fees & taxes.
20% off for members.
Book your tickets in advance on Eventbrite.
A limited number of tickets will be available in person on the day.

The Art of "Listening" to Incense. Quiet the mind and guess rare fragrances through a literary lens.

Quiet your mind and focus your senses on the rare fragrances of a selection of naturally aromatic woods in this elegant scent-guessing game.  In addition to testing your scent-memory, kumikō draws upon Japanese poetry and traditional cultural knowledge to create a sophisticated story around this contemplative exercise. This program is ideal for beginners, with no prior experience in Japanese incense practice required. To ensure a relaxed and accessible experience, guests will be seated ryūrei-style at long tables rather than on tatami.

About the Instructor

A wide, eye-level shot captures a woman performing a Kōdō (incense ceremony) with graceful precision. She is seated behind a table covered in a white cloth with a maroon runner. Dressed in an elegant, off-white kimono with a delicate floral motif, she looks down with a calm, focused expression as she uses a small tool to tend to a white ceramic incense burner. On the table, several traditional tools are neatly arranged, including a small red vase holding thin metal instruments used for manipulating the ash and incense. The background is dominated by a large, traditional Japanese shoji screen made of dark wood and translucent paper panels, which creates a structured and serene backdrop. To the far left, a vertical scroll with Japanese calligraphy adds to the cultural authenticity of the setting. The lighting is soft and even, highlighting the meditative and refined nature of the ritual.

Hitomi Tōkō Ginnan 銀杏董香

Hitomi Tōkō Ginnan 銀杏董香先生 is a certified instructor of Kōdō, the Way of Japanese Fragrance, with the Senzan Goryū School 香道泉山御流, based in Kyoto, Japan. She leads monthly kumikō classes at SaBi Tea Arts in Vancouver and introduces traditional incense culture at schools and cultural institutions in partnership with The Dōjin Japanese Arts Society.

Photographs by Xun Yu

An extreme close-up, high-angle shot captures the intimate moment of a participant "listening" to incense during a Kōdō ceremony. The person's hands are cupped delicately over the top of a ceramic incense burner (koro), creating a small chimney with their thumb and forefinger to direct the fragrant smoke toward their nose. The top of the burner reveals meticulously raked white ash with a small square of mica (gin-yami) resting in the center, upon which a tiny piece of aromatic wood is heated. The lighting is soft and diffused, focusing on the texture of the skin and the precise positioning of the fingers. The background is a minimalist, out-of-focus white, emphasizing the quiet concentration and sensory experience of the ritual. A small, subtle logo is visible in the bottom right corner.
A close-up, slightly high-angle shot captures a person participating in Kōdō, the traditional Japanese art of appreciating incense. The person, wearing a dark olive-green patterned kimono, is shown from the chest down. Their hands are the focus as they use a thin metal tool to meticulously arrange white ash inside a small, pale green ceramic incense burner (koro). The scene is set on a table covered with a vibrant, multi-colored fabric featuring traditional Japanese floral and geometric patterns in shades of red, gold, green, and black. To the right of the burner sits a square black lacquer tray containing small purple slips of paper, and a single purple tool rest sits behind the burner. The background is softly blurred, showing the warm wood and paper of a traditional shoji screen, creating a quiet and contemplative atmosphere.