“Connecting the past and the present through the spirit of harmony.”
―― Akina Shimawaki, Brand Development Office, Project Development Department, Nippon Kodo Co., Ltd.
Burning incense to settle the mind. Transferring scent to clothing or letters to convey feelings beyond words. Attending to fragrant woods to sharpen the senses. Throughout its long history, fragrance in Japan has remained more than a pleasurable luxury: it has accompanied people’s inner lives and conduct.
nowas is a fragrance brand born from Nippon Kodo to translate this incense culture into contemporary eaux de parfum. It draws fragrance stories from four periods, Sengoku, Heian, Muromachi, and Edo, and reconnects each to a situation in today’s life: decision-making, communication, concentration, and rest.
Basic Information
Brand: nowas
Year established / launched: 2026. The first four eaux de parfum launched on February 13, 2026.
Founded by: Nippon Kodo Co., Ltd. Rather than being started by a particular individual, the brand was developed by a project team centered on Generation Z employees together with in-house perfumers.
Key people: Akina Shimawaki of Nippon Kodo’s Brand Development Office, Project Development Department, and Miki Sakaba of its Market Development Department.
Official website: https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/nowas/
The Brand’s Beginnings
From 450 Years of History to the Next Fragrance
The story of nowas begins not in one founder’s formative experience, but in the incense culture inherited by the Nippon Kodo Group.
At its source is Koju, an illustrious name in incense that began in Kyoto in 1575. The Nippon Kodo Group inherited that lineage and has made a wide range of products for enjoying scent in daily life, including incense sticks and other forms of incense. It reached its 450-year milestone in 2025, the same year its Shioya Fragrance Factory in Tochigi Prefecture began operating.
The theme of the 450th anniversary was “Listening: awake your spirit.” It was an attempt to reconsider fragrance not only as something to smell, but as a means of listening closely to one’s inner self and to accumulated time. Through three perspectives, “listening to the past,” “listening to the present,” and “listening to what lies ahead,” the question was not simply how to preserve tradition, but how to pass it to the next era.
Development of a new fragrance for the next generation began within that movement. At its center was an internal project team that included Generation Z employees. The aim was to bring the appeal of scent into everyday life through a method different from the incense sticks and incense the company had long handled. The form chosen was eau de parfum, which could be worn on the skin and carried around.
“How can we convey the goodness of scent through a new carrier other than incense sticks and incense?”
―― Miki Sakaba, Market Development Department, Nippon Kodo Co., Ltd.
Here, “carrier” means a medium that conveys fragrance. From incense that is lit and diffuses into a room to perfume that changes expression over time on the skin: nowas was not simply attempting to transfer Nippon Kodo’s fragrance knowledge into a different format. It sought to pass on even the inner effects associated with burning incense, in a form suited to contemporary life.
Perfume Born in the Company’s Own Factory
In addition to incense sticks and other incense, Nippon Kodo has handled a broad range of scented products, including bath preparations and room fragrances. Even for this company, nowas was its first attempt to manufacture perfume in its own fragrance factory. The development team built the scent compositions with in-house perfumers who inherit the company’s olfactory knowledge and sensibility, then brought them to finished products at the newly established factory.
“Bringing traditional fragrances into today’s lifestyle.”
―― Akina Shimawaki
These words succinctly express the position of nowas. The brand looks to the past, but what it set out to make was not a reproduction. Sengoku warriors, Heian aristocrats, the traditional arts nurtured in the Muromachi period, and ordinary life in Edo: it reexamines the roles played by fragrance in each era and translates them into a day in contemporary life.
A fragrance that steadied body and mind before battle becomes one for a morning before a decision. A fragrance that conveyed feelings through clothing and letters becomes one for time spent connecting with others. A fragrance refined alongside traditional arts such as incense appreciation becomes one for focused creation. And the comfort entrusted to scented sachets becomes one for a night of rest at the end of the day. This structure connects fragrance’s historical roles with present-day emotions and actions.
The “WA” Connecting NOW and WAS
The name “nowas” is a coined word that overlays WA, meaning harmony, between NOW, the present, and WAS, the past.
“Wa” here does not simply refer to Japanese-style materials or motifs. It is a way of harmonizing apparent opposites: past and present, East and West, stillness and movement. This short name encapsulates a brand that seeks not to reproduce tradition unchanged, but to reconnect it with contemporary sensibilities and carry it into the future.
The Idea of a “Fragrant Amulet”
Another symbol embraced by nowas is the “fragrant amulet.” In Japan, fragrance has long been incorporated into life as something that purifies places, wards off harmful influences, and calms the mind. nowas translates that role into a 15 ml perfume that people today can carry every day.
The first four works launched on February 13, 2026, and the initial pop-up ran at Shibuya PARCO from that day through February 23. Each fragrance was 15 ml and ¥13,200 including tax. By combining a small bottle with a dedicated drawstring pouch, the brand gives form to the image of an amulet not only through the occasions for wearing it, but also through the act of carrying it.
Although the four works were reportedly chosen in broadly even proportions in stores, overseas visitors tended to prefer the powerful impression of AQT, while Japanese customers favored the everyday wearability of TIE. This was an early in-store response following the launch, but it is an interesting example of how four works with the same incense-cultural background can be chosen differently according to the recipient’s culture and way of life.
The Brand’s Commitments
Eastern Fragrant Woods and Western Perfumery
The scents of agarwood and sandalwood, with which Nippon Kodo has long worked, run through all four compositions. AQT and ZEP are grounded in the scent of agarwood, while TIE and WAF are based on sandalwood, layered with materials familiar from Western perfumery, including citrus, flowers, spices, and musk.
Agarwood is a fragrant wood in which resin accumulates in injured parts of a tree, developing its aroma over a long period. Sandalwood has a soft sweetness and a mellow quality suggestive of milky white, and has been widely used in both East and West as a material that supports a fragrance. Rather than confining these woods to the role of classical symbols, nowas combines them with rose, bergamot, vanilla, musk, and other notes to create compositions that sit naturally on contemporary skin.
The launch introduction also reported that upcycled materials were incorporated into all four works. Upcycling is the idea of giving new value to materials otherwise destined for disposal and using them in another product. The design can be understood as inheriting tradition while also attending to the circularity expected of present-day manufacturing.
Translating Incense’s “Lingering Scent” into Perfume
nowas valued more than the brilliance of the initial application. Longevity was considered so that a faint trail would remain after the scent softened on the skin. The developers describe an approximate duration of four to six hours, but layered onto this was the sense of “lingering scent” left in a space after incense has finished burning.
Incense is not enjoyed only while smoke is rising. There is pleasure, too, in the fragrance quietly left in a room or on clothing after the ember has gone out. Rather than strongly emphasizing the perfume’s top notes, the scent settles into the skin over time and returns close to the wearer. This lingering effect expresses a sense of fragrance time characteristic of Nippon Kodo.
A Bottle Reflecting Past and Present
The contrast between “past” and “present” embedded in the brand name also appears in the bottle. The wooden cap symbolizes accumulated incense culture, while the flat, portable bottle and vivid colors express modernity. It is a design that brings classical material character together with a light, playful form.
The bottle measures 90 mm high, 37 mm wide, and 24 mm deep. Its 15 ml capacity fits easily in the palm or a small bag. Each product comes with an original drawstring pouch that echoes the bottle’s color, serving both as protective packaging and as the finishing touch to the act of carrying a “fragrant amulet.”
The Fragrance Lineup
The initial collection consists of eaux de parfum connecting four historical periods with four states of mind. At launch, each was 15 ml and priced at ¥13,200 including tax.
AQT | Sengoku: Before a Decision
AQT is a woody amber inspired by warriors burning incense to compose themselves before battle. It moves from the taut brightness of yuzu and spices to the radiance of rose, finally settling into the quiet of smoky oud and amber.
Its foundation is the scent of agarwood. Pink rose and yuzu add a vividness that encourages action to the weight of old fragrant wood. In keeping with its theme, “composing the spirit and kindling courage,” it is a scent to accompany an important decision or a new step forward.
TIE | Heian: A Fragrance That Connects Hearts
TIE is a woody musk born from the Heian aristocratic practice of scenting clothing and letters with incense to convey feelings to another person. The clean brightness of bergamot and lemon is layered with rose and iris, leading into a powdery trail of sandalwood and musk.
While centered on a sandalwood accord, it is made easy to bring into contemporary daily life through the softness of citrus and flowers. This fragrance overlays the Heian custom of entrusting feelings beyond words to scent onto moments of meeting people or wishing to become closer to someone.
ZEP | Muromachi: Sharpening the Senses
ZEP expresses the background of the Muromachi period, when traditional arts such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and incense appreciation developed, as a woody green. It moves from bergamot and green notes to young bamboo, lavender, and jasmine, with the conifers fir and Japanese cedar leaving a quiet depth.
Its name derives from “Zephyr,” the English word for a gentle breeze. Bamboo expresses a freshness reminiscent of tatami, and although based on an agarwood accord, it foregrounds the greenness of young bamboo and a cooling, breezy sensation rather than darkness or weight. It is a fragrance for organizing one’s thoughts or becoming deeply immersed in creation.
WAF | Edo: Carrying Comfort
WAF is a woody balsamic fragrance modeled on scented sachets that spread among ordinary people in the Edo period and were also used to ward off harmful influences and as amulets. The warm stimulation of cardamom and cinnamon is layered with jasmine and ylang-ylang, moving into the rounded sweetness of cashmere wood, benzoin, sandalwood, and vanilla.
“Vanilla as full and soft as mochi.”
―― Miki Sakaba
It is a soft, enveloping composition grounded in a sandalwood accord. It suits an evening of releasing the day’s tension and returning inward. Of the collection, it can be seen as the most direct translation of the old scented sachet’s role into contemporary rest.
Incidentally…
Four Bottles Across a Day
The four works are arranged not only around historical eras, but also around the flow of a contemporary day. AQT for a morning when courage is needed, ZEP for a time of concentration, TIE for connecting with others, and WAF for a restful evening.
Rather than choosing fragrance only according to clothing or season, one chooses it according to the state of mind needed at that moment. This way of using the fragrances most clearly expresses why nowas calls them “fragrant amulets.”
Moving Between Perfume and Incense
At the first pop-up at Shibuya PARCO, agarwood and sandalwood incense, which formed the core of the compositions, were displayed alongside the four perfumes.
Rather than presenting perfume alone as an independent finished product, the display also allowed visitors to encounter the incense at its origin. Perfume changes on the skin, while incense spreads through a room and lingers. Trying both may offer a more dimensional sense of what nowas inherited from historical incense culture and what it translated into the present.
Additional Notes
nowas was born from collaboration between an internal Nippon Kodo project team and in-house perfumers. The official launch materials describe development by a team, without giving individual perfumers’ names or specifying the raw materials and proportions of the upcycled ingredients.
References
- nowas official brand website (brand concept, four fragrances, bottle design) – https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/nowas/
- NOWH, “Connecting the Present and Past Through the Spirit of Harmony: The Birth of Next-Generation Fragrance Brand nowas” (interview with Akina Shimawaki and Miki Sakaba) – https://www.nowh.media/articles/nowas-fragrance-brand-nipponkodo
- Nippon Kodo press release, “A Fragrant Amulet Connecting Time Through Harmony and Bringing Tradition into the Present: Nippon Kodo Launches New Fragrance Brand nowas” – https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000083.000049915.html
- Nippon Kodo Holdings, “History” – https://www.nipponkodohd.com/history/
- Nippon Kodo, “Nippon Kodo Group 450 Years: Launch of the 450 Project, Listening: awake your spirit” – https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/blog/information/4253/
- FASHIONSNAP, “Nippon Kodo Introduces New Fragrance Brand nowas: A Fragrant Amulet Drawn from 450 Years of History” – https://www.fashionsnap.com/article/2026-01-26/nowas-launch/
- Nippon Kodo official online shop, “nowas Eau de Parfum TIE” – https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/shop/products/detail/39058
- Nippon Kodo official online shop, nowas product listing – https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/shop/products/list?category_id=150035
- Nippon Kodo, “New Fragrance Brand nowas: Pop-Up Underway at Shibuya PARCO” – https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/blog/information/4440/
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