Incense holders 香立て

What is an incense holder for?

It holds a stick of incense upright while it burns and catches the ash that falls from it, so the burning tip sits clear of the table and anything nearby. Most of ours are built for one stick at a time rather than a whole box, and the holder is usually paired with its own small plate or dish underneath to keep ash off the surface it sits on.

What materials do ours come in?

Kousaido supplies a brass-and-glass design plus a plain glass square and a tin crane shape, so their own range alone covers three different materials. Kanesan works entirely in ceramic, a black shiba dog and a green jizo figure among the shapes, each one paired with its own small plate. Nousaku casts in tin: an egg-shaped burner and a lotus stand whose petals bend by hand around a base that turns to angle them. Chushin Kobo casts in iron, their bamboo boat design made by the caster Hisanori Masuda.

Koro or simple holder: what's the difference?

A koro is the more traditional style, a bowl filled with ash that holds a stick upright at an angle and can burn a cone or a coil laid flat on top as well. A simple holder, which is most of what we stock, is smaller and does not use ash at all; the stick sits in a hole or a groove instead. A koro suits someone who burns cones or coils as often as sticks, while a simple holder suits someone who mostly burns sticks and wants something that sits neatly on a shelf.

Do any of these hold more than one stick?

No, and that is deliberate rather than a limitation. Every design we carry, brass, glass, tin or ceramic, is built for a single stick at a time. If you burn incense often and want to load several sticks at once, a koro filled with ash is the better tool; ours are built for a slower, one-stick-at-a-time habit instead.

How do you clean each material?

Glass and brass want a simple wipe with a dry or barely damp cloth, since neither has a care note from the maker beyond that; avoid soaking either one. Ceramic pieces separate into a holder and a plate, so clean each part on its own. A soft cloth or a light hand wash keeps the paint from wearing. Tin follows the same rule as Nousaku's other tableware: hand wash only, no dishwasher, kept well away from a microwave. Cast iron wants the least water of all; wipe ash out with a dry brush or cloth rather than rinsing it, since standing water on cast iron invites rust.

Quick answers

These are the questions people ask us most often about incense holders, answered briefly.

What's the difference between a koro and a simple incense holder? A koro is a bowl of ash that holds a stick, cone or coil; a simple holder, which is most of what we carry, holds one stick in a groove or hole with no ash needed.

Can Nousaku's tin incense stands go in the dishwasher? No. Hand wash only, kept away from a microwave, the same rule as the rest of Nousaku's tin tableware.

Do your incense holders come with a plate to catch ash? Most do. Kanesan's ceramic holders and Chushin Kobo's cast iron design both ship as a holder and a matching plate that separate for cleaning.

What material is easiest to look after? Glass and brass, since a dry or barely damp cloth is usually enough; cast iron wants the least water of all, wiped rather than rinsed.

Who makes your cast iron incense holder? Chushin Kobo, whose bamboo boat design is cast by Hisanori Masuda.