Tokyo Kyukyodo | kokosil Ginza

Established in 1663, Kyukyodo is a well-established store where you can find Japanese specialties such as incense, painting/calligraphy goods and Japanese paper items. In the Meiji Period, Kyukyodo became a sole inheritor of the production method of the incense which had been passed down exclusively among the imperial court, for 900 years. And it has continued to preserve carefully these techniques to the present day. In addition to its incense, its wide range of painting and calligraphy goods such as brushes and inks, as well as Japanese paper items attract large number of foreign visitors.

Since its establishment, Kyukyodo has used the image of 'contra posed pigeons' as its logo. This design comes from a banner that was given as a gift for consistently meritorious service in battles from the Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo to Kumagai Naozane, ancestor of the store proprietors. These 'contra posed pigeons' have also passed down as the family crest of the Kumagai family.

In addition to incense and painting and calligraphy goods such as brushes and inks, Japanese paper handicraft items (writing paper, envelopes, postcards and gift bags) are available in the store. Thanks to the 8th generation proprietor, Kumagai Naoyuki, the store made a remarkable progress in the incense. He had inherited the production method of the incense, which had been passed down exclusively among the imperial court for over 900 years from Sanjo Sanetomi, an Imperial court noble. This production method has been carefully preserved over the generations by Kyukyodo, the sole inheritor.