Shoyeido's Horin Incense Assortment - 20 Sticks

Samplers like this one are excellent if you want to test a variety of scents for a relatively inexpensive amount. I highly reccomend this if you're interested in getting higher quality incense for perfuming the air of your house. Ten Pyo (Peaceful Sky) has a very strong woodsy, herby smell that reminds me of pepper and burning green wood. Apparently kyara is one of the more prominent ingredients in this mix. I didn't initially like this scent, but it eventually began to be one of my more favored ones. However, I probably will not use this one in the future. Be warned, the smell is EXTREMELY strong and bold and lingers for a long time. Give it another try after the initial burn; I dont regret it. Muromachi (City of Culture) has a very strong note of almost caramel (but not exactly), and smells like wood. It has more of a two toned scent. Not so much a foodsy smell, but more like a candy, but far less sweet. (Bleh on that description. Try it, its better than what you'll read here) Genroku (Returning Spirit) is very green and herby. Its supposed to represent air? I guess? Not very airy, but if you dont mind green scents, it's pleasant. Less powerful than Peaceful Sky, but has different overtones. Shirakawa (White River) isnt exactly like River Path, but is similar. Still, both are distinct scents. Its almost sweeter? But it is still a cinnamony, yummy scent that isnt overwhelming in the odor of spice. I personally liked it a lot. Lastly, Nijo (Avenue of the Villa) is a light, fresh scent that reminds me of a variety of fresh, indistinct flowers. Other people have described it as a walk through a street after a gentle rain, lined with houses, each having their own garden. A bit too poetic for me, but it smells fresh and lightly flowery. One that I prefer. Hope this helps whoever is interested in buying this, and potentially picks out a favorite scent. I know I settled on Avenue of the Villa because of this pack, and I can now see why White River/River Path are so popular. All of these scents are exceptional in their own right; there are definitely places and times where Peaceful Sky or Returning Spirit would fit more than, say, a boquet of flowers.

Yes, these are smaller sticks. Yes, they are pricey compared to other brands. BUT SO WORTH IT. The scents are stunning. Deep, complex, rich, without the weird perfume of the cheap stuff. A little bit is enough to make my small home office smell divine, and a subtle aroma will linger for many hours. Shirakawa is a standout. This is a perfectly balanced woody spice blend that is so comforting. It’s strong without being overpowering and sweet without being cloying. It’s very natural, with so much depth that you don’t go nose-blind to it. Nijo is a lighter scent that Shirakawa, but has a similar “classic incense” feel. Familiar, but better. This is the good stuff. It’s subtle when lit, good for creating a mood for focus or quiet. More than the others, this has a lingering presence after it’s extinguished. There is a lovely ghost of Nijo long after the burn. Genroku is interesting. Herbal, light, but not wishy-washy. I found this to be the most gentle of the scents. Relaxing. Ten Pyo is complex and herbal. It is the most “perfumey” of them, in the way it hits the nose and the mood it evokes. Muromachi is an odd one. Unlit it smells very strongly of caramel. Lit, it’s gunpowder and wood. Not my favorite, but it might grow on me.

I was really pleased with what a beautiful little gift set this is. The box it comes in is thick high quality paper and the incense sticks smell wonderful. It’s a well curated range of scents - from warm and amber-y to lighter, woodland smells. Obviously the burn time is shorter with shorter sticks but after a full stick has burned the scent lingers for a long time. I like to burn these while I’m studying because a peaceful atmosphere helps me focus, but I’ll definitely order more for gifts.

1: a campfire made of oak, gum, hickory limbs from the river bank. relaxing in the outdoors summer night humid heat. not a squeaky clean smell, but soothing in the way if youve ever taken a smoke bath on a long camping trip. 2: bottle rockets and the lingering scent of a day of shooting fireworks. not bad, not great. maybe if youre addicted to the smell of black powder. 3: the neighbor is burning his trash in the leaf pile again. slightly acrid, a bit too aggressive. this one is not very pleasant to me. its not awful, but its.. coarse. 4: sipping eggnog in front of a log fireplace while the ladies are opening up new makeup kits and baking sugar cookies with cinnamon and spice. soft, warm, cozy, sweet aroma. 5: aromatic wood, soapy and clean, slightly sweet. something vintage and classic about this one. a peaceful and calming scent to let linger before bed. a bit strong up close, but perfect and intriguing at a distance. i bought this pack twice. the first time the harsh first 3 scents really put me off, but the last two lingered in my mind. i bought another sampler, and now im ordering 2x80 of the last two. these are great aromas for 'i want this to linger for a while, and enjoy it and relax', dont waste them on 'i dont want the neighbor to smell the weed'.

Comparing Shoyeido brand to the the best of Indian incenses there is a night and day difference. Shoyeido incense has no center wood so the smoke is much lighter, more like vapor. The scents are sophisticated and charming. I got Horikawa coil version incense (not in this set) first. I was hooked, then got this sampler set and many more scents later from their brand 😅 so happy I found this brand. As you can see I almost used the whole package in less than a week. Incense are about 2.5-3 inch long they burn about 15-20 min but they have such long lasting smell even after few hours in rooms you burned them. In terms of ranking Shirakawa is my fav in this set and then Nijo. Shirakawa was also closest to Horikawa but less deep and a bit lighter note. Nijo smelled a bit like soap. Tenpyo was light but not very memorble. If you like herbal scents and less sweet go with Muromachi and Genroku. The package is beautiful too and it comes with a ceramic coin shape holder which works great since incenses are very light.

Excellent assortment pack. They all smell amazing! It’s hard to pick a favorite.

These sticks are everything that I hoped they would be. I just wish I had bought from another source because these were shipped in a regular padded mailer with no extra protection and many of the sticks had been broken in half due to an impact that dented the box. They're still burnable but I am removing two stars because these are smaller samples and it's really a shame for them to arrive damaged.

This is hands down the best incense I’ve ever burned! These little sticks burn quickly but the aroma lasts for hours. No chemical or synthetic perfume odors, minimal amount of smoke. Each scent is clean, pure, and relaxing. My favorites are Tenpyo (Peaceful Sky), and Nijo (Avenue of the villas). I am extremely finicky with respect to aromas and I can’t sing enough praises for this incense. Shoyeido does not disappoint!

Just received the item, they are absolutely tiny! Not the standard size you would expect and for over £20, not worth the money unfortunately, I will be returning these sadly

This is absolutely beautiful incense. My main problem with it is is that I’ve now developed a taste for the Shoyeido incense and its expensive ! I’ve come back looking to buy a box of the 80 sticks in the Nijo fragrance, but I also love the White River.

The Canadian Amazon price is cheaper than the original store price, which is in USD. Same amount, with no currency difference. It might change in the future, but for that alone, its worth grabbing and giving it a try. The fragrances are a good spectrum from wood/musky/dark towards very light, floral and powdery. There's no "bad" fragrance here, much like when you go to an ice cream shop, there's no bad flavour. Just depends on your personal likes and dislikes. Sticks are short and last about 10 minutes worth of a burn, which is more than enough. Smell gently lingers around for a few hours, but it becomes more and more subtle as time goes by. Its not the type of incense that punches you in the face or sticks to your clothes long term. They are more expensive than other companies, but also clearly a step above the Indian and Chinese sticks you can find for half the price. No weird chemical smells either. Packaging and presentation is also well thought out and high quality. Box is small but extra thick, printed ink quality is also very nice. Can easily give it as a gift, accompanied by a Hallmark card or something similar.

The most profound experience - this incense really delivers on experience - rich and complex, evoking memories of mornings roaming a wet forest

Compared to more traditional incense, these are hugely expensive, the fragrances don't smell premium and each stick burns down in about 10 minutes. To be completely honest some of these really reminded me of the smell when I go to collect a meal from my local Chinese takeaway. Not something I'll go for again.