Zen Incense Holder for Sticks (Zen Black Gold)

Sweet little incense holder. Works great. Heavy brass bead keeps in place and looking good.

I received my bowl with a small metal "anchor" to hold the incense. I figured I'd be smart and glue the anchor down so it didn't roll around or tip over from the weight of the incense stick, don't do that..The ball isn't locked in place for a reason. As each stick burns down it releases smoke and tar. Look at it like a cigarette filter that catches the tar as the smoke burns through. As the incense burns closer to the bottom, the smoke and tar begin to release through the bottom of the stick into the anchor, essentially locking the last remaining remnants of the stick in place. It can not be pried out from the top, even with a small needle, there will still be plenty of remaining incense left in the anchor making it extremely difficult, if not impossible to insert another stick. The anchor must be picked up and the remainder of the stick pushed out through the top via the small hole on the bottom of the anchor.Don't make the same mistake I made by glueing the anchor!

This is a lovely product. I had an incense holder that is wooden and makes a simple slant, but this one is just cleaner and small enough to be unobtrusive, but large enough to catch the ash. It is perfect for lighting your favorite incense stick (I bought Hinoki, but have since come to love the Asayu Agarwood low smoke incense). And it feels safe to light one of these and gently drift off to sleep.

Beautiful ceramic bowl with shiny solid metal bead to hold your incense stick while burning. Note that the hole in the bead is very narrow and suited for fine Japanese-style incense sticks only. Thicker Himalayan-style incense sticks will not fit. If you like to burn both types, you will need another bead or an incense clip to use with this bowl.

This bowl is beautiful in its simplicity. I’ve had it for ten days. I’ve burned mostly Japanese incense. All the ashes remain in bowl. Not one single time has any ash fallen outside the bowl. The little cone is heavy and sturdy enough to hold incense sticks. And the bowl is the perfect size. I just wish it’d be a little less expensive. Other than that, this is typical Japanese quality. Would buy again.

I wish it was maybe one inch more in diameter, but the quality and aesthetic of this is wonderful. This is made for stickless Japanese incense, so don't expect to use this with "regular incense sticks" as they won't fit in the smaller hole, but the little brass holder is real brass and hefty for such a small thing! Ive never had an issue with the incense falling over or spilling ash. It's really beautiful as well. It came in really nice packaging with a little pamphlet showing you their incense selection as well. It would make a nice gift!

This bowl is so beautifully and professionally crafted. For its quality, the price totally worth it. It’s not those ordinary ceramic bowls you find in stores. It has a metallic resonant sound and shine when you touch and see it, simply amazing. Every facet of this bowl has unique patterns and colors. I bought two but they are too big for my altar. However, I decided to only return one, because it would be a pity to not keep one for its collection and appreciation value. This traditional Japanese incense bowl is a piece of art and a representation of Zen.