Chinese Incense Culture(香学) · Detailed Study of Incense Texts and Literature
Seven Essentials of Burning Incense
The Seven Essentials of Burning Incense lists seven implements for enjoying incense: censer, box, ash, charcoal, fire screen, sand chips, and spiritual ash—only when the implements are complete can fine incense be obtained.
"The Seven Essentials of Burning Incense" is found in Ming dynasty writings on incense culture(香学) (similar entries appear in Tu Long's Kao Pan Yu Shi and Wen Zhenheng's Zhang Wu Zhi), listing the seven items required for enjoying incense:
- Censer: the principal vessel for burning incense.
- Incense Box: the vessel for storing incense.
- Censer Ash: used to spread in the censer to regulate temperature.
- Incense Charcoal: the heat source for indirect incense burning (chestnut charcoal is best).
- Fire-separating: mica sheet or silver leaf, separates the fire to release fragrance.
- Sand sheet: a substance that aids combustion and evens out heat.
- Ling ash: a specific type of stove ash (such as eggplant ash or paper ash), fixes temperature and purifies the air.
Utensils are the very measure
The Seven Essentials are in factfire-separated incense heating's list of utensils, cross-verified withIllustrated Guide to Incense Utensils.