Limited Release of "Tokiwokumu," an Incense Clock that Designs Time with Shape and Scent
Kokuyo and Shoyeido have co-developed "Tokiwokumu," an incense clock that won the Kokuyo Design Award, releasing it in a limited edition of 50 sets. Users stack incense blocks to enjoy the passage of time through changing scents.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 20:00
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Kokuyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City / President: Hidekuni Kuroda) has co-developed "Tokiwokumu," an Excellence Award-winning work from the Kokuyo Design Award 2022, with Shoyeido Inc. (Headquarters: Kyoto City / Representative: Motoaki Hata), and will release a limited edition of 50 sets (*) starting late April. This product allows you to design your "upcoming time" by stacking incense blocks. For commercialization, Shoyeido, which handles traditional Kyoto incense making, manufactured the product, and it will be sold at direct stores of both companies.
*Targeted at the set of incense and base.
[Image of "Tokiwokumu"]
"Tokiwokumu" is an incense clock that lets you feel the "passage of time" visually and olfactorily as the incense burns. It was born from the desire to help people regain their own rhythm amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. Its biggest feature is that you can "program" your own upcoming time by stacking incense blocks of different scents and colors. The very act of stacking the 5 distinct types of incense—named "POSITIVE", "RELUX", "REFLESH", "SATISFY", and "FORCUS"—becomes an opportunity to look inward, allowing you to sense the passage of time through the changing fragrance.
This product commercialized the work of the design unit mrk, which won the Excellence Award at the "Kokuyo Design Award 2022", through the sincere technical cooperation of Shoyeido, a long-established incense maker in Kyoto. It elevates traditional incense into a "tool to measure time" in a form that fits modern living. We deliver a new kind of moment and a way to create time that is uniquely yours.
Release Schedule: Shoyeido direct stores - Late April (planned)
Kokuyo direct stores - Late May (planned)
Manufacturer's suggested retail price (excluding tax): 25,000 yen
Sales volume: 50 sets
Set contents: Incense stand, rod, incense (5 types, 3 pieces each, 15 pieces total)
Sales locations: Shoyeido direct stores, Kokuyo direct stores
URL: https://www.kokuyo.com/design-award/goods/tokiwokumu/
1. Features of "Tokiwokumu"
(1) Incense to feel the passage of time
You can stack up to 5 pieces of incense with different scents and colors depending on your mood. When you light the top, the scent changes as each block burns down, gently conveying the "passage of time" through your sense of smell.
[Image of 5 stacked incenses]
(2) A base like a furnishing that organizes the space
By layering a brass tray on a warm wooden base, we aimed for an appearance like a single piece of furniture. The metal part, which has a gentle slope towards the center, beautifully catches the falling ash. The minimalist design, where different materials harmonize, quietly blends into any space.
[Image of the base made of wood and brass]
2. About the Kokuyo Design Award
The Kokuyo Design Award is an international competition established in 2002 to promote user-centric product creation. In recent years, it has seen global expansion, with overseas applicants accounting for nearly half. This award is based on the premise of commercializing winning works, and has produced numerous products with unique perspectives, such as the "Kadokeshi" and the "True Ruler". Through collaboration with the winners during the commercialization process, we also support young designers and build a foundation for their success.
Kokuyo Design Award Website: https://www.kokuyo.com/design-award/
3. Judges' Comments for Kokuyo Design Award 2022 (Excerpts from the final judging in 2022)
Masashi Kawamura (Whatever Chief Creative Officer)
Above all, it looks cute and made me want to actually use it. I appreciated its appeal as an object, the leap of the idea, and the high level of craft in its design.
Tsuyoshi Tane (Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects Representative, Architect)
This work is akin to the sensation of listening to music. I felt the meaning of design in surrendering oneself to the changing scent over time, much like surrendering to the tracks of an album.
Teruhiro Yanagihara (TERUHIRO YANAGIHARA STUDIO. CO LTD. Creative Director / Designer)
Not only is the idea of converting current emotions into scent novel, but the repeated verification of colors and shapes matching the concept was also excellent.
Satoshi Yoshiizumi (TAKT PROJECT Representative, Designer)
Time is a massive concept that creates common understanding. Within that, this work effortlessly connected the elements of time and scent.
4. Creator Profile
Design Unit "mrk"
A unit consisting of three members: Ryo Kobayashi (Takram Ltd.), Kazumi Ueda, and Miho Takeichi (Nadia Inc.). Winners of the Excellence Award at the "Kokuyo Design Award 2022".
*Targeted at the set of incense and base.
[Image of "Tokiwokumu"]
"Tokiwokumu" is an incense clock that lets you feel the "passage of time" visually and olfactorily as the incense burns. It was born from the desire to help people regain their own rhythm amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. Its biggest feature is that you can "program" your own upcoming time by stacking incense blocks of different scents and colors. The very act of stacking the 5 distinct types of incense—named "POSITIVE", "RELUX", "REFLESH", "SATISFY", and "FORCUS"—becomes an opportunity to look inward, allowing you to sense the passage of time through the changing fragrance.
This product commercialized the work of the design unit mrk, which won the Excellence Award at the "Kokuyo Design Award 2022", through the sincere technical cooperation of Shoyeido, a long-established incense maker in Kyoto. It elevates traditional incense into a "tool to measure time" in a form that fits modern living. We deliver a new kind of moment and a way to create time that is uniquely yours.
Release Schedule: Shoyeido direct stores - Late April (planned)
Kokuyo direct stores - Late May (planned)
Manufacturer's suggested retail price (excluding tax): 25,000 yen
Sales volume: 50 sets
Set contents: Incense stand, rod, incense (5 types, 3 pieces each, 15 pieces total)
Sales locations: Shoyeido direct stores, Kokuyo direct stores
URL: https://www.kokuyo.com/design-award/goods/tokiwokumu/
1. Features of "Tokiwokumu"
(1) Incense to feel the passage of time
You can stack up to 5 pieces of incense with different scents and colors depending on your mood. When you light the top, the scent changes as each block burns down, gently conveying the "passage of time" through your sense of smell.
[Image of 5 stacked incenses]
(2) A base like a furnishing that organizes the space
By layering a brass tray on a warm wooden base, we aimed for an appearance like a single piece of furniture. The metal part, which has a gentle slope towards the center, beautifully catches the falling ash. The minimalist design, where different materials harmonize, quietly blends into any space.
[Image of the base made of wood and brass]
2. About the Kokuyo Design Award
The Kokuyo Design Award is an international competition established in 2002 to promote user-centric product creation. In recent years, it has seen global expansion, with overseas applicants accounting for nearly half. This award is based on the premise of commercializing winning works, and has produced numerous products with unique perspectives, such as the "Kadokeshi" and the "True Ruler". Through collaboration with the winners during the commercialization process, we also support young designers and build a foundation for their success.
Kokuyo Design Award Website: https://www.kokuyo.com/design-award/
3. Judges' Comments for Kokuyo Design Award 2022 (Excerpts from the final judging in 2022)
Masashi Kawamura (Whatever Chief Creative Officer)
Above all, it looks cute and made me want to actually use it. I appreciated its appeal as an object, the leap of the idea, and the high level of craft in its design.
Tsuyoshi Tane (Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects Representative, Architect)
This work is akin to the sensation of listening to music. I felt the meaning of design in surrendering oneself to the changing scent over time, much like surrendering to the tracks of an album.
Teruhiro Yanagihara (TERUHIRO YANAGIHARA STUDIO. CO LTD. Creative Director / Designer)
Not only is the idea of converting current emotions into scent novel, but the repeated verification of colors and shapes matching the concept was also excellent.
Satoshi Yoshiizumi (TAKT PROJECT Representative, Designer)
Time is a massive concept that creates common understanding. Within that, this work effortlessly connected the elements of time and scent.
4. Creator Profile
Design Unit "mrk"
A unit consisting of three members: Ryo Kobayashi (Takram Ltd.), Kazumi Ueda, and Miho Takeichi (Nadia Inc.). Winners of the Excellence Award at the "Kokuyo Design Award 2022".