THE FAR EAST

THE FAR EAST
Distillation of essential oils and the use of aromatics progressed in the Far East as well. Like the Christian Gnostics, Chinese Taoists believed that extraction of a plant's fragrance represented the liberation of its soul. Like the Greeks, the Chinese used one word to represent perfume, incense and fragrance. That word was heang. Heang was divided into six aesthetic moods: Tranquil, reclusive, luxurious, beautiful, refined or noble. (Keville, Green) The Chinese upper classes made lavish use of fragrance during the T'ang dynasties that began in the 7th century AD and continued until the end of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century. Their bodies, baths, clothing, homes and temples were all richly scented, as was ink, paper, cosmetics and sachets tucked into their garments. The ribs of fans were carved from fragrant sandalwood. Huge, fragrant statues of Buddha were carved from camphor wood. Spectators at dances and other ceremonies could expect to be pelted with perfumed sachets. China imported jasmine-scented sesame oil from India, Persian rosewater via the silk route and, eventually, Indonesian aromatics-cloves, gum benzoin, ginger, nutmeg and patchouli-through India. (Keville, Green) The famous Materia Medica Pen Ts'ao was published in China during the 16th century. It discusses almost 2,000 herbs and contains a separate section on 20 essential oils. Jasmine was used as a general tonic; rose improved digestion, liver and blood; chamomile reduced headaches, dizziness and colds; ginger treated coughs and malaria. (Keville, Green)
It was the Japanese who turned the use of incense into an art, even though incense didn't arrive in Japan until around 500 AD. By that time, the Japanese had perfected an effective distillation process. By the 4th to 6th century, incense pastes of powdered herbs mixed with plum pulp, seaweed, charcoal and salt were pressed into cones, spirals or letters, then burned on beds of ashes. Special schools still teach the ancient art of kodo [perfumery]. Students learned how to burn incense ceremonially and perform story dances for incense-burning rituals. (Keville, Green) From the Nara through the Kamakura Periods (710-1333), small lacquer cases containing perfumes hung from a clasp on the kimono. The container for today's ‘Opium’ brand perfume was inspired by one of these. An incense-stick clock changed its scent as time passed, but also dropped a brass ball in case no one was paying attention. A more sophisticated clock announced the time according to the chimney from which the fragrant smoke issued. Geisha girls calculated the cost of their services according to how many sticks of incense had been consumed.

(Keville, Green)
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