Sakai Senkou is incense sticks made in Sakai City, Osaka.
Incense making was originally brought from China at the end of 16th century when the history of incense making in Japan originated.
At that time Sakai was one of the leading trading ports in Japan. Along with the fact that it was easy to find aromatic trees and there were many temples in the city, incense making was developed and Sakai became known as a production center of incense by the time of Edo era.
   A vital part of incense making was the mixture of aromatic ingredients. In this regard, Sakai incense was largely influenced by Koudou (art of appreciating incense) and Sadou (art of tea ceremony) and further developed.
Sakai incense is made by traditional methods in which the machilus tree of a Lauraceae family is mixed with aromatic ingredients and kneaded together with hot water. Some high-end incense is still made by the hand of skilled artisans.
The carefully selected aromatic ingredients of Sakai incense are regarded as the art of fragrance and still highly valued.