The “Imperial Fragrance” of East Asian Culture: Types, Properties and Features of the Agarwood Tree

Abstract

During the course of the study which focused on the unique features of the agarwood tree used in East Asian culture, the properties of the aromatic agarwood product as well as contributing factors to its formation were considered. The key types of agarwood trees were analyzed based on a wide range of sources including authoritative Chinese and Japanese written sources both in antiquity as well as modern works, and artifacts and materials from Asian museums and art galleries. What gives this study particular relevance today is its analysis of the various types of agarwood trees and the unique features of their current classifications, which has so far been widely known primarily only among museum experts and collectors in countries of South, East and Southeast Asia. From a historical context regarding the development of Asian incense culture, various properties of fragrant wood were considered (mainly these were the Aquilaria species of the Thymelaeaceae tree family, including aquilaria sinensis , aquilaria agallocha and aquilaria crassna ). The main criteria and methods used for assessing the aromatic wood were identical to those long used in oriental medicine, everyday culture, folklore and art of the Asian people. Special attention is given to the analysis of the properties, varieties and classification of the finest type of agarwood tree called “kinam” native to South and Southeast Asia. The study of various aspects of the use of aromatic agarwood in oriental medicine and Asian culture inevitably leads to the significant issue of predatory extraction of agarwood, creating a crucial need for regenerative cultivation of these valuable trees to upkeep the ecological balance in the region.