The story of Shoyeido began when our founder; Moriyoshi HATA opened a shop called “SASAYA.”
Moriyoshi HATA is a descendant of Tokiyoshi HATA, whose name appears in the Taiheiki, left Tanba-Sasayama for Kyoto in the early 18th century.Since then, we have devoted ourselves exclusively to the art of incense making, carrying on the tradition to this day.
To celebrate the launch of Incense “SASAYA”, a new product that reflects Shoyeido’s history, time-honored craftsmanship, and the passion and aspirations behind our work, we sat down with Motoaki HATA, who became the 13th-generation head of Shoyeido in 2025.
＿＿＿Could you tell us about the appeal of the new product, “SASAYA,” and the story behind its development?
First of all, what is the origin of the name “SASAYA”?
“The name ‘SASAYA’ comes from two things.
One is that Shoyeido originally operated under the trade name ‘Sasaya.’
According to some old records preserved in our family, it seems that by around the time of the third head of the family, we were using both the names ‘Sasaya’ and ‘Shoyeido.’
There were also names such as ‘Sasa-Roku’ when the head of the family was Rokusaemon, and ‘Sasa-Iwa’ when the head was Iwajiro. I think they used different names and developed their branding in ways that suited the times.
The other inspiration comes from the thinness of the incense sticks and their fragrance.
During the conceptual stage, the former president often said, ‘Incense sticks in Kyoto used to be much thinner, and their fragrances were more delicate.’ That led us to develop an incense stick that was as thin as possible.
As we developed it, names such as ‘Sasayaka,’ meaning delicate or subtle, and ‘Saya’ came up within the company, inspired by its slender form and simple, delicate fragrance.
So we decided to combine the fact that our company began with the name ‘Sasaya’ with the idea of ‘Sasayaka,’ and settled on the name ‘SASAYA.’ ”
＿＿＿Now, while actually burning the incense, could you tell us about “SASAYA Jin” and “SASAYA Dan”?
Let’s start with “SASAYA Jin.”
” ‘SASAYA Jin’ somehow feels nostalgic. To me, it has a familiar, nostalgic fragrance.
This comes from a personal experience. Once, when I was overseas purchasing ingredients, I was checking the various kinds of agarwood in bags.
The moment I opened one particular bag, I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of nostalgia.
The fragrance brought back memories of my childhood, when I would offer incense and pray at the family Buddhist altar with my grandmother.
Perhaps there is a certain character of agarwood that Shoyeido has been drawn to over the years.
I believe that ‘SASAYA Jin’ allows you to experience the depth and richness of the agarwood that has long been part of Shoyeido’s incense tradition.”
＿＿＿And what about “SASAYA Dan”?
“ ‘SASAYA Dan’ expresses the scent of sandalwood in its purest form.
When you bring sandalwood close to your nose, you can clearly sense its sweetness even without heating it.
I wanted to take that pure scent of the sandalwood itself and spread it throughout a space.
I feel that we were able to turn that ideal into reality.
Because the incense sticks are thin, the smoke is also gentle.
We were able to create the simple and delicate fragrance we had envisioned.
We would recommend to anyone who wants to experience the pure scent of sandalwood.”
＿＿＿Could you tell us about your approach to ingredients and what they mean to you?
“When it comes to aromatic woods, we sometimes receive concerns from customers asking, ‘Will these ingredients become impossible to obtain someday?’
It is true that the environment surrounding aromatic woods has been changing.
However, for products intended for everyday use, we carefully select the appropriate ingredients for each product. We hope you can enjoy them comfortably.
One of the thoughts behind this product is to create fragrance that we can sustainably produce for years to come.”
＿＿＿How do you source and evaluate the ingredients?
“The ingredients used in our incense are sourced mainly in China, India, and Southeast Asia.
We have been traveling to these regions ourselves to source our ingredients for more than 50 years, going back two generations ago.
I believe one of the major reasons for our expertise is that we have consistently tried to evaluate our ingredients ourselves with our own eyes and hands.
Being able to directly assess the fragrance and quality of the ingredients—that is where our know-how lies.
And, of course, there are the relationships of trust we have built with the people in those regions.
In particular, with this product, I don't think we could have done it without that strong foundation of trust.”
＿＿＿What was the concept behind the packaging design?
“For the ‘ささや-SASAYA’ lettering on the package, we used the handwriting of the president from two generations ago.
For the illustrations, we used an incense burner and a fan-shaped motif from a Meiji-era catalog.
The design brings together things created by our predecessors in an era we can no longer experience firsthand with the ideas we want to convey today.”
＿＿＿Was there a particular reason for launching the product at this point in time?
“On the manufacturing side, we went through a lot of trial and error before finding a way to keep producing it in this form.
Of course, I wish we could have launched it while the former president was still with us.
He was the one who first evaluated the fragrance, and I remember how happy he was with how thin the incense sticks were.
Whether we could continue manufacturing incense this thin was also a major challenge.
After many attempts, when the manufacturing team told him that we had finally made it possible, he was extremely pleased.
The former president had talked about making a product like this, and now, we have been able to create it together with our master incense blender, who is of my generation and is developing the fragrances.
I feel that this was meant to be.
I believe this is a product we can take pride in, and I feel a sense of responsibility to nurture it with care from here on.”
＿＿＿So, you carried on the intentions of those who came before you while adding your own thoughts as the current head of company.
What kind of presence would you like “SASAYA” to have in the future?
“Until now, we have created a wide variety of fragrances by placing great importance on the art of blending and our ability to combine different ingredients.
Within that tradition, turning our attention to agarwood and sandalwood—in other words, confronting the aromatic woods themselves—is a new challenge for us. At the same time, it also means returning to our roots.
We believe a product can only continue to exist when three things come together;
Having access to the right ingredients,
Having the techniques to keep producing it,
And earning the trust and appreciation by customers.
We developed ‘SASAYA’ with all of these thoughts in mind.
We hope that it will become a fragrance that accompanies many people's everyday lives and is cherished for many years to come.”
＿＿＿Thank you very much for speaking with us today.
The story of Shoyeido began when our founder; Moriyoshi HATA opened a shop called “SASAYA.”
Moriyoshi HATA is a descendant of Tokiyoshi HATA, whose name appears in the Taiheiki, left Tanba-Sasayama for Kyoto in the early 18th century.Since then, we have devoted ourselves exclusively to the art of incense making, carrying on the tradition to this day.
To celebrate the launch of Incense “SASAYA”, a new product that reflects Shoyeido’s history, time-honored craftsmanship, and the passion and aspirations behind our work, we sat down with Motoaki HATA, who became the 13th-generation head of Shoyeido in 2025.
＿＿＿Could you tell us about the appeal of the new product, “SASAYA,” and the story behind its development?
First of all, what is the origin of the name “SASAYA”?
“The name ‘SASAYA’ comes from two things.
One is that Shoyeido originally operated under the trade name ‘Sasaya.’
According to some old records preserved in our family, it seems that by around the time of the third head of the family, we were using both the names ‘Sasaya’ and ‘Shoyeido.’
There were also names such as ‘Sasa-Roku’ when the head of the family was Rokusaemon, and ‘Sasa-Iwa’ when the head was Iwajiro. I think they used different names and developed their branding in ways that suited the times.
The other inspiration comes from the thinness of the incense sticks and their fragrance.
During the conceptual stage, the former president often said, ‘Incense sticks in Kyoto used to be much thinner, and their fragrances were more delicate.’ That led us to develop an incense stick that was as thin as possible.
As we developed it, names such as ‘Sasayaka,’ meaning delicate or subtle, and ‘Saya’ came up within the company, inspired by its slender form and simple, delicate fragrance.
So we decided to combine the fact that our company began with the name ‘Sasaya’ with the idea of ‘Sasayaka,’ and settled on the name ‘SASAYA.’ ”
＿＿＿Now, while actually burning the incense, could you tell us about “SASAYA Jin” and “SASAYA Dan”?
Let’s start with “SASAYA Jin.”
” ‘SASAYA Jin’ somehow feels nostalgic. To me, it has a familiar, nostalgic fragrance.
This comes from a personal experience. Once, when I was overseas purchasing ingredients, I was checking the various kinds of agarwood in bags.
The moment I opened one particular bag, I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of nostalgia.
The fragrance brought back memories of my childhood, when I would offer incense and pray at the family Buddhist altar with my grandmother.
Perhaps there is a certain character of agarwood that Shoyeido has been drawn to over the years.
I believe that ‘SASAYA Jin’ allows you to experience the depth and richness of the agarwood that has long been part of Shoyeido’s incense tradition.”
＿＿＿And what about “SASAYA Dan”?
“ ‘SASAYA Dan’ expresses the scent of sandalwood in its purest form.
When you bring sandalwood close to your nose, you can clearly sense its sweetness even without heating it.
I wanted to take that pure scent of the sandalwood itself and spread it throughout a space.
I feel that we were able to turn that ideal into reality.
Because the incense sticks are thin, the smoke is also gentle.
We were able to create the simple and delicate fragrance we had envisioned.
We would recommend to anyone who wants to experience the pure scent of sandalwood.”
＿＿＿Could you tell us about your approach to ingredients and what they mean to you?
“When it comes to aromatic woods, we sometimes receive concerns from customers asking, ‘Will these ingredients become impossible to obtain someday?’
It is true that the environment surrounding aromatic woods has been changing.
However, for products intended for everyday use, we carefully select the appropriate ingredients for each product. We hope you can enjoy them comfortably.
One of the thoughts behind this product is to create fragrance that we can sustainably produce for years to come.”
＿＿＿How do you source and evaluate the ingredients?
“The ingredients used in our incense are sourced mainly in China, India, and Southeast Asia.
We have been traveling to these regions ourselves to source our ingredients for more than 50 years, going back two generations ago.
I believe one of the major reasons for our expertise is that we have consistently tried to evaluate our ingredients ourselves with our own eyes and hands.
Being able to directly assess the fragrance and quality of the ingredients—that is where our know-how lies.
And, of course, there are the relationships of trust we have built with the people in those regions.
In particular, with this product, I don't think we could have done it without that strong foundation of trust.”
＿＿＿What was the concept behind the packaging design?
“For the ‘ささや-SASAYA’ lettering on the package, we used the handwriting of the president from two generations ago.
For the illustrations, we used an incense burner and a fan-shaped motif from a Meiji-era catalog.
The design brings together things created by our predecessors in an era we can no longer experience firsthand with the ideas we want to convey today.”
＿＿＿Was there a particular reason for launching the product at this point in time?
“On the manufacturing side, we went through a lot of trial and error before finding a way to keep producing it in this form.
Of course, I wish we could have launched it while the former president was still with us.
He was the one who first evaluated the fragrance, and I remember how happy he was with how thin the incense sticks were.
Whether we could continue manufacturing incense this thin was also a major challenge.
After many attempts, when the manufacturing team told him that we had finally made it possible, he was extremely pleased.
The former president had talked about making a product like this, and now, we have been able to create it together with our master incense blender, who is of my generation and is developing the fragrances.
I feel that this was meant to be.
I believe this is a product we can take pride in, and I feel a sense of responsibility to nurture it with care from here on.”
＿＿＿So, you carried on the intentions of those who came before you while adding your own thoughts as the current head of company.
What kind of presence would you like “SASAYA” to have in the future?
“Until now, we have created a wide variety of fragrances by placing great importance on the art of blending and our ability to combine different ingredients.
Within that tradition, turning our attention to agarwood and sandalwood—in other words, confronting the aromatic woods themselves—is a new challenge for us. At the same time, it also means returning to our roots.
We believe a product can only continue to exist when three things come together;
Having access to the right ingredients,
Having the techniques to keep producing it,
And earning the trust and appreciation by customers.
We developed ‘SASAYA’ with all of these thoughts in mind.
We hope that it will become a fragrance that accompanies many people's everyday lives and is cherished for many years to come.”
＿＿＿Thank you very much for speaking with us today.
“Thank you.”
View Product > “NEW! Incense SASAYA”