The Japanese use 聞香 or 聞く, to listen for incense. Morita explains: the Mahayana sutra says that in Buddha's world, all things, including his teachings, are fragrant. So incense and the Buddhist teachings are the same, and we listen to both of them.
There are 2 main schools: しの, which is more warrior-like and focused on rules; and おいえ, which is more focused on the games.
To describe the aroma, the Japanese use 5 tastes:
Pungent, grassy, like burning cayenne
Sweet, like honey
Tart or sour, like the Japanese plum
Salty, like the taste of sweat or drying sea weed
Bitter, like herb medicine
Furthermore, there are 6 types of 香, which originally had something to do with the countries of origin, but now just describe different types of 沈香 (六国)
伽羅, elegant, touch of bitterness. Aristocratic.
羅国, sharp, pungent, similar to sandalwood. Bitter, warrior-like, restless, ready to start. Spring-like.
真那賀, light, none of the 5 tastes prevail. Shallow, nihilistic, like a young, mysterious woman.
真那蛮, sweet, unsettling, makes one feel alone.
寸門多羅, sour, everlasting summer, passions and bad dreams
佐曽羅, cool and sour. Monk-like. Summer scene.
香 in CNY
We normally use 白檀 or 沈香, but not 伽羅
It is only formally part of CNY in the 七事式; but if you wanted to incorporate it into a 茶事, you could do it, provided you have a special incense, before or after 炭, leaving away the incense laying.
In the 七事式, we use 沈香; not 白檀. You also use 沈香 in the 香合 for displaying it in the 床の間 to elevate it.
People used to carry しの袋 in their sleeve where they have some special incense with them.
This is used in one of the 七事式, where the host provides the main incense, and one of the guests will add one which they've brought.
The うぐいす that is used in 香道 to pin some scoresheet to the mat is the same as the うぐいす in 茶箱 (where it is bent)
To clean the 銀葉, cook strong 番茶 and rinse it in there.
香炉
The 火箸 make a hole almost too big, so better to use the うぐいす!
裏千家 makes the whole surface flat, and only adds one line where the front is.
I prefer the 香道 way with the many lines
点前
official 裏千家 is black lacquer tray and white 楽 香炉; but 表千家 has a mulberry tray and green 香炉, which is also seen now in 裏千家 because it's so pretty
Use a woman's かいし and cut away ~11 ╳ 10.5 cm. It is then halved, and then folded into thirds so that the final packet is 1.8 ╳ 3.5 cm.
Use special 香箸, which are squared so they don't wiggle around on the tray. I've seen some made of 伽羅 wood as well.
Assistant brings 香盆 to first guest, returns to entry
Host asks the first guest to 「どうぞお香を」
Check with R if 香炉's got heat
Then slide up to the 盆
Open 重香合's lid, place to R, take from it the paper and put it inside, two lines away from the border. Always assist with the L when touching the stacked container, but place compartments on the 畳 with one hand.
Close lid, open second tier
Take 銀葉鋏, take the 銀葉, hold your pulse and place it on the ash
Press the 銀葉 slightly with the nail of your R ring finger, which is the cleanest, since it barely touches anything; also holding your pulse.
Take paper, open the bottom flap, then take 火箸, open the top flap and side flats.
Take 香 snippet from top and bottom, and while holding it with the 火箸 fold the paper again, except for the bottom flap. Place it on the L, again 2 lines away from the border; and then put the incense, holding your pulse.
Close the paper completely, and put it on R again
Sample sniff without turning, then put to the next guest inside.
Close 重香合, open lid again, put paper in and close. Slide back.
The 香炉 is turned counter-clockwise (to differentiate it from the tea); and passed between guests on the inside.
Be careful when doing 感謝, lest the incense slips off its plate.
The last guest won't turn the 香炉 after listening, but instead bring it to the first guest and put it to the L from the 盆 (from the first guests perspective). They will listen, then put it on the tray again.
The host will say that the 香 should stay in the room, the first guest will slide forward, turn the 盆 and the assistant will put it in the 床, to the 下座 of the flowers even.
点前 (two 香)
しの袋 with 2 香, 2 mica plates in, it will be in everyone's right sleeve.
first guest does like 且座
then you take out しの袋, which you open like a 長緒
First 銀葉 is square, second one is diagonal (♦️)
After using it, women put it in the left sleeve from behind; men into the right sleeve.
Host says leave 香 as it is, and add 本香, put the second one to the L side, and the 本香 in the middle (only for senju)
火入れ
火入れ are different, usually prepared with 水屋火箸
It shows to the guests that everything is under control
I got a video by Kimika where she demonstrates it
練香
Since the 練香 is very resinous, we don't use it in 風炉 (as it might hurt it)
While 利休 said to use ceramics in winter and lacquered 香合 in summer, if you are using a non-ceramic 香合 with 練香, add a camelia leaf. This leaf is then dropped into the 炭斗 before 拝見!
A good general recipe is 4 parts smelly things, 1 part charcoal, 5 parts honey (by weight). That works quite well.
Ulrich said in 21 how he mixed ground remains of incense sticks collected from the temple with musk, camphor (for freshness), ground coal and honey.
Shoyedo sais the must be aged for 3 to 5 years in ceramic jars buried in wet soil.
I made one myself using myrrh, benzoe, juniper, fir needles, angelica and pine honey, which I think is quite coming of spring, so I named it 火の乙女 in reference of the Irish goddess Birgit who supposedly brings fire (and thus, spring). Used it in my 雪間の草 茶事 in 2026.