Deciding to take over the family business, Chinatsuko goes to Grasse, France, the home of fragrances. After she graduates from school, she meets Joffre, one of the few people who understands English, who works at the fragrance company where she is studying. Joffre was born in Cannes and raised in Grasse. His grandmother also worked in the jasmine and mimosa fields grown in Grasse. Joffre explains that the aromatic flowers and herbs that are used as raw materials for fragrances are closely related to everyday life.

“For example, when I was a child, when I was injured, my grandmother would put lavender on the wound.It is said to help heal faster.When I had a cold, I would mix rosemary and tim. , floating in a basin of boiling water, covering yourself with a towel, and inhaling the steam will soothe your throat and chest.Traditional aromatherapy was a part of everyday life. Joffre always says that southern France is close to Italy, has a warm climate, and the people are just as warm.

Joffre's background is unique. After he graduates from school where he studies accounting, he becomes a professional tennis player. He spent his days fighting in France and all over Europe. What is difficult for professional tennis players is the cost of changing matches. He says it was no mean feat for him to support himself. After that, he worked for a fragrance company in Grasse for 13 years, and he met and married Chinatsuko. He moved to Japan in 2013. The following year, in 2014, Chinatsuko started making incense alone, and Jofre joined in 2016. From here, he started Tokyo Kodo in earnest.

create to tune
two incense

At Tokyo Kodo, the two of us first decide on the direction and image of the fragrance. Chinatsuko pitches ideas for scents to Joffre, and Joffre advises Chinatsuko as they move forward. He says it feels like tuning. The actual incense creation is Joffre's role. Chinatsuko's hometown was a company that handled incense sticks, but they didn't manufacture them, so at first she was just trying to find her way around. She taught herself how to mix ingredients, etc. ``The base is wood powder, but there are many types of wood powder.I feel that the quality of the water also affects the quality of the water.When we first started, we only had one small machine for making samples, and we created them through trial and error. I kept raising it."

The West and the East are one
Creating beautiful incense using raw materials from the earth

At Grasse, Chinatsuko was shocked by the depth of perfume, but was also heartbroken by the low image of incense. ``Many of the products are low-priced and made overseas, Joffre says, giving them a somewhat dirty image.In Japan, it's a little different, but the world is more likely to be treated like miscellaneous goods or to be associated with Buddhist altars. I wanted to create a new value for incense."

Currently, Tokyo Kodo has about 30 types of incense, including collaborations. Artists are used for the packaging, included incense holders, cards, etc. Their artwork and the incense they created are fused to create a new worldview. There is no cheap and dirty image. There is a special value in it that makes you want to embrace a life full of fragrance.

Of course, they both enjoy the scent of incense in their daily lives. ``I burn incense in the morning, noon, and night.The scent marks the time and even changes my mood.'' It's interesting how the way it smells and how it feels changes as the seasons change. I would be happy if people could easily enjoy scents that affect the heart in various ways in their own lifestyles.

Finally, we asked Chinatsuko what kind of scent she wanted. She says, ``When she visited her friend's house in France, there was a fragrance altar in the living room.'' There were many perfume bottles on display that were loved by deceased members of her family. “These are a number of half-used perfumes that were loved by the deceased.I look at the bottles, sometimes listen to the scent, and remember the deceased, and the memories of the deceased go beyond time and come back to me vividly like it was yesterday. I was moved by the close connection between scent and life and the memories of each era. Through incense, I can share the scents that touch people's hearts with the plants that we receive from the earth. I hope that this will be a source of healing and prayer.

The reason why they have not been actively interviewed so far is because they believe that their incense itself is invisible art. After it becomes a product, the incense itself speaks loudly with its scent. The idea was that there was no need for them to come forward. However, once you come into contact with the true artisan spirit of Tokyo Kodo, which strives to live in harmony with nature and create scents at a pace that does not contradict its rhythms, you cannot help but be drawn to it. Today, I will surrender my mind to the time when fragrance, scenery, and memories are linked together, emitted from Tokyo Kodo's incense.

→Tokyo Kodo It's about the two who create scents (Part 1)

(Titles omitted)

Tokyo Kodo TOKYO KODO

It is a unit of Chikako Perez, who was born in Tokyo as the third generation of a family that runs an incense stick sales company specializing in temples, and Perez Joffre, a former professional tennis player who worked at a fragrance company.The unit combines Japanese and Western traditions. An interior aroma incense brand that combines technology. We procure raw materials in Grasse, France, the home of fragrances. Based on the concept of coexistence with nature, we are particular about creating incense using the highest quality natural fragrances possible.