Silhouette - Honoka

Honoka / Silhouette has become my household's go-to meditation incense. My spouse is sensitive to incense smoke, and I've tried many different varieties and combinations over time. I discovered Silhouette several years ago, and I've found none better. It is a perfect blend of sandalwood with a hint of frankincense that is balanced, not too sweet, and never "dusty" smelling. It produces a fine, gentle scent that I've found perfect for zazen. It also leaves no smokey residual smell after burning in the somewhat open room where we sit. We also have three children and don't want to expose them to too much particulate matter and smoke, and the Shoyeido low-smoke incense is quite good in this regard. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This incense is perfect for those situations in which a person wanting to use incense needs a more mild incense. My use of incense is with my practice of zazen. A stick is lit prior to meditating. My zendo is a small room (the size of a bedroom which could hold a twin bed, dresser and chair--and that it it). My use of daily incense such as Moss Garden, Kyoto Autumn Leaves, or White Cloud was too strong and overpowering in that small space. But Honoka was perfect--not too strong and yet not so light one was not able to appreciate it. The other characteristic of this incense is that the scent is very smooth. Some incense have a scent that is a bit harsh even though the volume of smoke is appropriate for the room. This incense is not like that. It is not too sweet and flowery, but not harsh either--just right. And lastly, some incense can have a burnt component to its scent--like what one would smell if they were to smell an ash tray or walk into a home after it was gutted by fire. Not this incense--just a slight clean, pleasing scent. Of all the incense I have used through my 31 years of using incense with my meditation, this is probably the best. To me, it has a smoother, easier scent than the other two low smoke incense by Shoyeido and much better than other non-Shoyeido low-smoke incense. It is an excellent buy. If it were not for this incense, I'd probably have to go without any for my zazen time, and I would not want that! Thank you Shoyeido!