The Water and the Wind, solo exhibition at the Institute for Art and Olfaction, Los Angeles, 2024
A project documenting the master incense makers of Awajishima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan.
According to legend, a piece of agarwood washed up on the shore here in 595 B.C. The villagers burned it for firewood, delighted by its smell, and later presented what was left to the empress.
In the intervening years, the port location and strong easterly winds have made the island highly suitable to incense production, and it has become a production center for fine incense. Today this island produces most of the incense for domestic consumption in Japan, and 14 incense masters, or koh-shi, orchestrate the production using both traditional and modern processes. In January 2023 I was able to visit the island and spend some time learning about their craft and history.
When I asked one of the incense masters what local ingredients were used in their incense, he answered, Mizu to kaze. The water and the wind.