Arashiyama Moonlight, SANSHISUIMEI Incense, 30 Sticks

At a glance

• Sandalwood, borneol and musk create a clear woody fragrance with restrained sweetness
• Cooler, drier and more understated than the collection's floral blends
• Inspired by moonlight reflected across the river at Arashiyama

Arashiyama Moonlight is the quietest fragrance in SANSHISUIMEI.

Sandalwood gives the blend its woody base, while borneol and musk make the fragrance clearer, cooler and more transparent. Kousaido describes it as exotic and mature, but importantly, with its sweetness held back.

The image is moonlight reflected on the river at Arashiyama. The incense itself is grey, making this one of the collection's clearest connections between scent, colour and landscape.

If you tend to find floral incense too decorative, Arashiyama is the natural place to start in SANSHISUIMEI. Saga is fresh and green; Kamo fresh and watery. Arashiyama instead stays woody, musky and restrained.

Its short 15 to 17 minute burn also makes that quieter profile useful for reading, working or an evening when you want fragrance present without making it the dominant feature of the room.