Reminder: The video on this page was made during our HANTAN period, before our current store was established. The footage may be slightly blurry. We appreciate your understanding.
Disappearing Craftsmanship
Hand Made Joss Incense Sticks
In the early days of Taiwan, the demand for incense used in Buddhist rituals was high. From the 1970s to the 1990s, incense masters worked tirelessly, producing incense in central Taiwan and shipping it across the island. My elders would receive the incense shipments at Wanhua Station—a bustling scene that is now a memory of the past. My father also ran a small family incense workshop in Banqiao, employing up to eight skilled artisans. However, with the rise of environmental awareness, a decline in demand, and the emergence of high-output incense machines, traditional handmade incense is getting lost.
Joss Incense Sticks by Semiautomatic Machine
*To save labor, the incense-making process has evolved into a semi-automated production, combining traditional craftsmanship with machine assistance.
Making - Tribute Incense Sticks
Besides the Tribute incense used in temples, there is also household Tribute incense designed to meet users' needs for longer burning times. Household Tribute incense comes in sizes such as 39 cm, 48 cm, and 54 cm. We have these specifications in stock; however, due to size constraints, overseas shipping requires prior confirmation to ensure delivery is possible.
Making - 24HR Incense Coils
In the past, the tradition of offering incense to the gods required continuous smoke, making 24-hour incense coils convenient for users, as they didn't need to constantly monitor the burning process. Ensuring that the incense burns completely for 24 hours is a challenge, particularly in Taiwan's humid environment. During winter, varying humidity levels require careful attention to produce incense with consistent quality.
Nowadays, in response to environmental concerns, most incense is produced in a less smoke variety (with a smaller diameter and reduced burning surface, resulting in less smoke).
Making - Incense Coils
Incense sticks and incense coils are popular for both praying and personal use. People often light incense while reading, drinking tea, or relaxing. With a thickness of about 1-2.5mm, the smoke produced is quite light. Burning even a short piece of high-quality incense can fill a room with a subtle, pure fragrance. To choose the right grade, we recommend starting with our mixed package for reference.
Making - Incense Cones
Cone incense is made by mixing incense materials with a binder and forming them into a cone shape with a tip that is easy to light. This is an improvement on the traditional method of burning incense powder (scooping a small amount of powder, placing it in the incense burner, shaping a tip, and then lighting it). Our cone incense burns for approximately 10-15 minutes per piece and is primarily made from agarwood, sandalwood, or other traditional incense materials.
Currently, there is also backflow incense available on the market, which has a hole at the bottom that allows the smoke to flow downward, creating a visual effect during burning. However, since backflow incense requires a larger proportion of raw materials and the market is highly competitive with lower-priced options, we have not yet added backflow incense cones to our product line.
