AAS Vancouver
Genji-kō 源氏香 scent-matching experience
Date: Sunday, March 15
Times: 10 am or 12 pm, approximately 90 minutes
Location: Ichibōan Tea House in Nitobe Memorial Garden, UBC
Cost: CAD $60 regular (approx. USD $44)/ CAD $40 students (approx. USD $30), includes Garden admission
Please join us in the Ichiboan tea house at UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Garden for a special kumikō 組香 scent-matching game thematically associated with the 54 chapter titles of The Tale of Genji. Guests will be served five samples of aromatic woods and will be asked to identify which (if any) match each other and which are distinct. Answers will be recorded in the form of Genji-kō-no-zu 源氏香の図 diagrams, which have had a significant impact on Japanese visual arts and design since the Edo period.
Sessions are presented by licensed instructors of the Senzan Goryū School of Kōdō incense tradition. The sessions will be held in the traditional tatami room space of the Ichibōan tea room at the Nitobe Memorial Garden on the University of British Columbia campus, a tranquil space that is not normally open to the public.
For those unfamiliar with kōdō 香道 (the Way of Incense/Fragrance), kumikō 組香 (scent-testing exercises), and the Genji-kō game specifically, a short video recording introducing the proper technique for handling incense burners and the structure and significance of the game will also be provided in preparation for participating in the exercise.
Scroll down for additional details.
IN PREPARATION
AVOID STRONG SCENTS
Kōboku 香木 fragrant wood scents can be very subtle. So that everyone may fully enjoy and appreciate the different scents, please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, and scented lotions that might interfere with the experience.
DRESS WARMLY
The program will take place in a traditional tatami room. Please dress comfortably for sitting on the floor. For those who have trouble sitting, a low stool will be provided. The Ichibōan tea house does not have central heating. We will do our best to heat the space up as much as possibly, but the weather will be cold, so please dress warmly.
WATCH THE INTRODUCTORY VIDEO
Due to the size of the tea room space, capacity in this program is limited to 8 people per session. We understand that some attendees will have had some experience with Kōdō and many will not. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we have prepared an introductory video recording that will provide a general overview of the art of Kōdō, the objectives and structure of the Genji-kō game, and a practical guide to proper handling of the censer.
Please take the time to view this video in advance so that we can make the most of our limited in-person time.
What to Expect
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Please arrive at the Nitobe Memorial Garden main gate approximately 10 minutes before your session start time. A guide will be there to greet you and to lead you into the garden and to the tea house. Garden entry is included with your ticket, so if you wish to enter the garden before the appointed time, please let the gatehouse attendant know that you are with the AAS incense group for early access.
ABOUT THE ICHIBOAN SPACE
March is shoulder season at Nitobe Garden and the days can still be quite chilly. The Ichiboan Tea House is a traditional structure with tatami floors and shoji doors/windows. There is no central heating, so please dress warmly.
You will be asked to remove your shoes when entering and bare feet are not permitted inside the tea room.
Seating is on tatami mats, but a low stool can be provided if you are unable to sit on the floor.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Hitomi Tōkō Ginnan is a certified instructor of kōdō (Japanese incense ceremony) in the Senzan Goryū tradition and has been organizing public Kōdō programs in Vancouver since 2018.
Maiko Myōkō Behr has worked as a Japanese to English translator, curator, and consultant specializing in Japanese arts for over twenty years. She is the Executive Director of The Dōjin Japanese Arts Society and owner of SaBi Tea Arts, where she teaches chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony) in the Omotesenke tradition and kōdō (Japanese incense ceremony) in the Senzan Goryū tradition.
LOCATION
PUBLIC TRANSIT
Nitobe Memorial Garden can be accessed via the #68 UBC Exchange bus northbound (Stop #59125) on NW Marine Drive, or southbound (Stop #61424) on West Mall. For a complete list of bus schedules and routes, please call Translink at 604.953.3333 or visit translink.ca.
PARKING
The closest visitor parking is the Fraser River parkade located diagonally across from the garden’s entrance. Parking can be purchased on site via the meter or Honk Mobile app.