u/KaijuKapuBoya

I really like Baieido. I have read that in the years past, there have been sometimes drastic changes to their offerings. Not having the benefit of knowing the difference can be a blessing. I can truly enjoy their incenses for what they are.

I purchased the Baieido Tokusen 5 Variety Gift Set from JapanIncense (I 💜 U, Kotaro!) and promptly gifted it to myself. THAT is an enjoyable collection. I recommend it highly. But I’m not talking about that set here…

Baieido Tokusen Shukohkoku is not actually IN the Tokusen Assortment. Nope. An unassuming 2-stick sampler came with my order (I owe you, Kotaro). I put it aside as I had “far more important things going on…”

Have I mentioned that I am a fool? Well, you’ve likely already deduced such. I am so obviously and blatantly WRONG far too often. When faced with a proverbial fork in the road, I take the wrong path every time. If there were such a thing. Wrong paths often lead us to exactly where we should be… but they do tend to suck pretty bad at times.

The initial smell of the stick before lighting is fairly common. Sweet, spicy wood. A hint of fruitiness maybe. However, I get a pretty strong sense of glycyrrhizin from it. That’s the funky root secretion of the licorice plant. Can’t call myself a huge “fan”of black licorice… though, I don’t hate it. This front gives way to all sorts of specialties I was completely ill-prepared for. This is why I am encouraging an active participation review.

If you have a stick of Baieido Tokusen Shukohkoku (also spelled Syukohkoku), please, when you have a moment to listen to it, light one up for me. Focus on being in that moment. Tell me what you think of it. Comment here or PM me, whatever works for you. I want to hear what YOU think of it. Even if you think it’s garbage.

The wood used here feels familiar, but also unique to other sticks. It is incredible. Bittersweet. Sour, salty, spicy. It’s all there in abundance. This incense has everything. But what I want to focus on is… there is this ethereal note that is reminding me of the smell of a really high grade sweet ale… or… a spiced rice wine? Omg! Is that it? Is anyone else getting that note? I can’t stop thinking about it. My brain is desperately searching for that next fleeting wisp of it…

… annnd yep. I’m addicted. Just like that. I need more and my sampler is G-O-N-E. The first stick went so fast. Why is my heart-rate up? I almost never burn an entire stick at once. Am I panicking? I don’t even remember lighting the second stick! What the heck!?! Tokusen Shukohkoku used its burn time to hypnotize me into forgetting time and space entirely!

What are you guys getting from this stick? Why is it so mysterious? Why is this seemingly upper-mid-grade stick outclassing everything. I mean, everything! Dang! Baieido! You dogs! You got me while I wasn’t looking! I am so totally yours ♥️.

In closing… all I can do is hope my next Wa no Kaori order gets here soon! Don’t fail me now, Ken! 🥹

I’ve never written a review for anything before. I’ll probably be all over the map. I’d like to thank u/Starzingers for encouraging me to write this review. They wrote an amazingly worded review on Hojo Red. Now, I don’t have quite the zesty vocabulary that they do, but I will do my best to try to keep pace.

Full disclosure. I’m very new to incense. Like, this new year. 2026. Perhaps in the future, I’ll make a post about what brought me to it, or rather, what brought IT to ME.

In these first months of 2026, I have been repeatedly diving headfirst into the vast world of Japanese incense. It has been an experience that I cannot quite put to words at this moment. Let’s just say, it’s been very special.

I came across the Yamadamatsu Hojo series while researching high end Aloeswood incense sticks. They were immediately appealing. I have this desire to experience the full breadth of this art form that the Japanese have truly mastered. The Hojo series represents one of the many, many shining pinnacles of high end incense. The complete antithesis of a “daily”incense. Sounds like a ‘must try’ to me.

I purchased 2 samplers from Wa no Kaori (I 💜 U Ken). Their prices are unbeatable. One stick is not enough for me to know if I like it or not… unless it’s awful.

Note: I haven’t technically found a “bad smell”. Only incenses that were too perfumed for me. Staying within the boundaries of Japanese incense allows decent security of quality control.

Hojo. Phoenix Castle. As fitting a name as can be. Hojo White, Green, and Red are the kinds of scents I imagine a Samurai would be listening to as he donned his armor to go into battle. Perhaps, for the last time. There is a sense of finality to the whole series. A definitive ending point. It will get no higher in quality than this.

I sampled the sticks in thirds because I was made aware of their potency upfront. On separate days. Also multiple days apart so I could think about my experiences for longer. During the burn, I wasn’t doing anything but giving the incense the attention and respect it deserves. I sat in silence and listened.

Green was first. It was obvious from the moment of ignition why it was named Green. For lack of a better description, it felt entirely botanical and incredibly wild like an all-consuming jungle. It is a literal garden of scents. I couldn’t even begin to try to categorize what I was smelling. It is certainly “green” though. Highly exotic and invigorating.

The Agarwood and Kyara used for the Hojo series are probably the best I have experienced so far. Yamadamatsu has definitely earned my love and respect. They are true artisans.

Then came White. I was not prepared for this level of musk. I have a box of Tennendo Shingon (plant-based musk from ambrette seeds I believe) that I am slowly trying to acclimate to. So I thought I knew what to expect. Described by Kikoh Incense (I 💜 U too Michael) as “light, creamy, semi-sweet with notes of dark chocolate and musk”. Kikoh write-ups almost always help me decide whether to buy something. It’s a small, family-owned business I can feel good about supporting.

I agree with that description aside from “light”and “semi-sweet”. The only thing light about it is the label. This stick is probably the most potent of the three. It hung around in my room for a long time (only a 3rd of a stick). At first, it was honestly a bit too much for me. So sweet. Not semi. Full sweet. And funky too. Like… browning butter and melting sugar on the stove all day. Second-hand Pipe tobacco smoke comes to mind. A smell I’ll always love. They must have used the sweetest chunks of aloeswood and kyara available. Said resin is of spectacular quality.

But the real ‘whoa factor’ here is musk. I tried to find out if they used actual deer musk. Most assuredly, Yamadamatsu has real deer musk in their vaults. But I couldn’t find anything definitive online. Google says it’s likely plant-based for ethical reasons. I mentioned I have that box of Shingon musk… and I feel like it says otherwise.

Hojo White truly does conjure up an image of maybe getting a little too up close and personal with a Himalayan musk deer. It’s incredibly warm snuggling in the brush with this… say, 30 pound Moschus leucogaster. There is a strange perception of dense, soft, oily fur. Leather (skin?) is very present. It is all so intense… and… alive. Like I mean it’s living… and breathing… with a heart and lungs! Or was at one time. It was a lot to take in and I couldn’t hang around it for long after.

It wasn’t until I returned to my room an hour later that I realized the lasting power of this stick (green and red also have this trait). It added weight to the thought that real deer musk is used in Hojo White. Animal musk (deer, ox, rat) is a fixative. Come to think of it, I would not at all be surprised if castoreum (beaver gland secretion) was also in the mix. Its scent description (woody vanilla) fits right in with the profile of White. Anyway, fixatives make smells last longer. This one sets a very high bar and must be bursting with them. Most importantly though about my return to the room, I noticed that I was really enjoying the after smell… and I wanted to burn more.

“Cloying”is a term I have already seen often in the incense world. Used to describe unwelcome, overly sweet scents. I think this is as close as I have been to a cloying experience. Again, I just wasn’t ready for the level of musk. “Strong”is an inadequate description.

Used in moderation (I’m burning half sticks now) Hojo White is magnificent. There is not another stick like it (aside from green and red). It exudes the essence of true luxury. Perhaps even more so than Hojo Red in some ways. Think, columns of Calacatta Borghini Extra. These are the finest of materials. I feel blessed to be able to experience this wonder of Japanese art.

This is way longer than I anticipated. To wrap up, I wanted to mention that Hojo Red has a bit of everything Green and White do, but oh so much more. A wonderfully eloquent write-up was recently done on it by u/Starzingers. It has to be one of the most complex sticks available. I look forward to hopefully adding a box to my collection. Of the 3, red is the best one and the price reflects that. With the Yamadamatsu Hojo series, you definitely get what you pay for. A truly one-of-a-kind experience.

My best to all of you. Thanks for reading!