Incense burner.jpg
Incense burner.jpg

AAS Vancouver: Genji-ko 源氏香 scent-matching experience

$60.00

Join in a 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.

Scroll down for full program details.

For student rate, please enter coupon code AASSTUD2026 at checkout.

Session Time:

Join in a 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.

Scroll down for full program details.

For student rate, please enter coupon code AASSTUD2026 at checkout.

Dōjin no Tomo Matcha - 30g
Dōjin no Tomo Matcha - 30g
$35.00

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Date: Sunday, March 15

Times: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm

An additional session may be added at 2 pm if needed. Please add your name to the waitlist if your desired session is full.

Location: Ichibōan Tea House in Nitobe Memorial Garden, UBC - 1895 Lower Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4  

Capacity: Up to eight people per session

Cost: $60 (approx. USD $44) regular / $40 (approx. USD $30) for students — includes Garden admission

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. Please note that the Ichibōan tea house is not wheelchair accessible and does not have central heating. Guests will be seated on the tatami-mat floor, but cushions or low stools will be provided for those who need them.

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.

About the Presenter:

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 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.

For additional information about the program or about The Dojin Japanese Arts Society, contact Maiko Behr at maiko@dojinarts.org .