Nippon Kodo's guiding principle and main objective from its inception has been: to bring the culture of incense to the world. And in so doing, to fill people's hearts with kindness and gladden their spirits and souls. Nippon Kodo's devotion to making fine incense follows a long and honored tradition that started more than 400 years ago and can be traced back to Jyuemon Takai, better known as Koju, a skilled artisan in the art and the principal provider of precious rare and exquisite aromas to the Emperor of Japan and his Court. Many of those pleasing and enduring high-quality incense fragrances, which the company continues to produce to this day, are based on the original formulas created by Koju and later by Yujiro Kito, who was hailed as the genius of fragrance during the Meiji restoration period in the 19th century--around the time that Japan opened its doors to the world and began to modernize itself.