Japanese Incense & Holders

A koro is a traditional Japanese lidded incense burner, used in tea ceremony, temples and homes. The pierced or domed lid diffuses incense smoke softly. Many collectors also display koro purely as decorative porcelain art.

Yes. Every koro we sell is Kutani ware, hand-painted by artisan studios in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan — the home of Kutani porcelain since 1655. Nothing is mass-produced overseas.

Rest an incense cone or stick on a bed of ash or a small heat-safe dish inside the burner, light it, and place the lid on top. The smoke drifts gently through the openings. Always burn on a stable, heat-resistant surface.

Yes. With a little ash or sand in the base, a lidded koro catches falling ash instead of scattering it, and the glazed Kutani porcelain wipes clean with a damp cloth — no soapstone-style staining or scrubbing. The kiln-fired porcelain is made to take the heat of a burning stick or cone.

Absolutely. A koro looks finished as a still life on a shelf, console or tokonoma alcove — many buyers never burn anything in it at all.

Wipe with a dry or barely damp soft cloth. Avoid dishwashers and abrasives: the overglaze enamels and gold accents sit on top of the glaze, like a painting.