31 May 2019

Japan Creative Centre (JCC)

Kodo, or incense ceremony, is one of the greatest and oldest Japanese ways of art. Though many may not know of it as well as Sado (tea ceremony) and Kado (flower arrangement), it is a practice steeped in tradition and history through which participants can calm their mind and soul.

Japan Creative Centre (JCC), Embassy of Japan in Singapore is proud to host Grand Master Ms Higashi Gyoka in Singapore as she introduces the art of incense burning. Engage in an interactive ceremony through which participants can learn about how incense burning ceremonies are conducted, what kind of scents are used, and the types of materials necessary for the session.

Please do take note: as this activity focuses on the appreciation of scents, please ensure that you do not have on any perfume/cologne and do not bring any food or drinks with you into the event venue. Guests wearing perfume/cologne or guests with food and drinks will not be permitted to take part in the event even if they have registered in advance.

Event Details

Date:

Friday, 31 May 2019

Time:

6:30pm — 8:30pm (Registration starts 6.00pm)

Venue:

Japan Creative Centre (JCC), Embassy of Japan in Singapore
4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372

Admission:

FREE

About the Ceremony Master

Ms Higashi Gyoka is a Grand Master of the Oie-school of Kodo, the art of incense smelling. She studied directly under the Grand Master of the school’s head family, Sanjyo-Nishi Soke, and is currently active in holding incense burning ceremonies requested by overseas embassies and organisations.

Grand Master Higashi has also been active in promoting international goodwill through Kodo at international conferences and symposiums in Japan by means of expressing, with different scents, the beautiful four seasons of Japan and its literature. Through the ceremony, she offers participants an opportunity to gain insight into Japanese culture and people represented by them. She has also offered aromas at shrines and temples such as the Ise Jingu, Omiwa Jinja, Yakushiji, and Usa-Hachimangu. She has also served as an instructor at different culture centres.

About Kodo

Kodo is a unique traditional culture of Japan and is one of the three greatest Japanese ways of art along with Sado (tea ceremony) and Kado (flower arrangement). It is the practice of heating a piece of fragrant wood to extract its scent, and it soon became popular among the upper class after being introduced in during the Heian Period.

The participants of the ceremony praise and enjoy the beautiful four seasons and natural beauty of Japan by appreciating the fragrant wood in association with waka poems, stories, and traditional events. In Kodo, participants “listen” to the aromas chosen by the ceremony master. The ceremony involves scent guessing and starts with all the participants taking turns to take a sniff of a tiny piece of fragrant burning wood and then take another sniff to discern what kind of aroma it is: spicy, sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. Expressive of the sensitivity of the Japanese, Kodo provides you with the refined world of aromas that cannot be found in any other country.

Register for the event

Click button or scan QR to register:

In an event if the registration is full, or you would like to cancel your registration, please e-mail us at jcc@sn.mofa.go.jp.

Kindly register early to avoid disappointment. We regret that as there is limited seating, seats will be confirmed only upon receipt of confirmation email from JCC. ALL EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE.

Please ensure that you do not have on any perfume/cologne and do not bring any food or drinks with you into the event venue.

Where is Japan Creative Centre (JCC)?

Is this your first time visiting Japan Creative Centre? Follow the map below to Japan Creative Centre now.

Getting to Japan Creative Centre
4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372
Tel: +65-6737-0434

By Public Bus:
Bus services: 7, 36, 77, 105, 106, 111, 123, 132, 174, 174E, 502, 502A, 502B (Alight in front of Delfi Orchard)
For latest information on bus routes and fares, please refer to SBS Transit.

By the MRT:
You may also take the MRT to the nearest MRT station, Orchard (NS22).
Train fares, travel times and route maps are available on the SMRT website.

Driving to JCC:
Nearest parking is at Orchard Hotel, Delfi Orchard and Orchard Rendezvous Hotel.