Incense clock

'fragrance clock') is a timekeeping device that originated from China during the Song dynasty (960–1279) and spread to neighboring East Asian countries such as Japan and Korea.

[2] Early incense clocks found in China between the 6th and 8th centuries CE seem to have Devanāgarī carvings on them rather than Chinese seal characters.

American historian Edward Schafer speculates that the incense clocks were derived from India, transmitted to China.

[10] In fact one of the side jobs of the time keeper in ancient Chinese cities was to mark calibrated incense with individual lines, to denote length of a burn for sale to the public.

In Japan, a geisha was paid for the number of senko-dokei (incense clocks) that had been consumed while she was present, a practice which continued until 1924.

While religious purposes were of primary importance,[5] these clocks were also popular at social gatherings, and were used by Chinese scholars and intellectuals.

[14] Although they are no longer used formally for time keeping, such incense clocks are still used by scholars and monks in the East for evoking moods and for aesthetics.

A fine layer of damp white wood ash is first laid down in a small container, flattened, and lightly compacted.

Seals that were in the form of patterned metal stencils were simply laid down on the ash while the incense powder was poured over it.