Enfleurage

I’ve just had the pleasure of sitting down to coffee with our Hinoki distiller, Iacopo. It was thrilling to learn more about this unusual situation and the story behind the protected Hinoki trees in Nagano Prefecture. These particular trees are from Kyūiki-rin which means “Shrine Precinct Forest.” The trees come from this area; the shrine is dedicated to the sun goddess Ameterasu. The forest is massive and sacred. Its main purposes are to present a serene green buffer that protects the goddess from the secular human world and it also provides the Hinoki wood for the shrine, which is ritually rebuilt very 20 years. From these trees, the larger heartwood is cut and shaped, with smaller cuts going for traditional Noh masks and other sacred traditional items that need to be pure, refined and durable. It’s the sawdust from these cuts that is distilled for essential oil….care, consideration, intention. Thank you Iacopo, for this incredibly interesting information!