The Nihon Shoki, one of the oldest written records of Japanese history, traces the origins of incense in the nation to a single log of agarwood that washed onto the rocky coast of Awaji, an island southwest of Osaka, during the sixth century. The region became the epicenter of the aromatic substance’s artisanal production, and today manufactures around 70 percent of the country’s incense, primarily in the form of small, fragrant wood pieces that mimic that storied slice of timber, and sticks or cones, formed out of incense paste. In 2019, the fragrance masters at Kunjudo, a 128-year-old incense-maker based on the island, introduced another form of the sweet-smelling matter via Ha Ko, a brand that offers delicate, leaf-shaped incense made from Japanese washi paper.