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Rising Phoenix Perfumery

Blueshido 2020 : A Blue Lotus Take on Bushido

Blueshido 2020 : A Blue Lotus Take on Bushido

Regular price $89.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $89.00 USD
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Depending on the time of year, our lead time can range from a few days to up to 8 weeks.

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A Blue Lotus Take on Bushido...

Mayalsian Oud (2011)
Hindi Kachari Oud (2015)
Cambodi Oud Pursat (2012)
Vintage Mysore (1980s)
Pink Ambergris Attar (2012)
Allspice (1906)
Custom-distilled Mysore Sandalwood
+
My 2019 Thai Blue Lotus

An Inspiration of Time and Place...with a twist - thanks to Customer requests ;)



**The photo I’m using for Blueshido, btw - is Yakusha-e : Japanese woodblock prints of Kabuki actors and were particularly popular during the Edo period.

Specifically, this is actor Danjuro VII, painted by Utagawa Kunisada in 1852.


Below is the info for Bushido - all of which applies to the new Blueshido.

Rarely do we come across a fragrance that is sailing in totally uncharted waters and that we cannot even compare to anything we've worn before. But Bushido is doing that sailing, and it's awesome.


Years ago, my brother - who is an avid Bonsai practitioner - called me to ask if I could make "Choji Oil". No clue what it was at the time, so I set off to do some research. Turns out, "Choji" is Japanese for "Clove" - and the scent of Clove has a long history in Japanese culture. Clove oil was used to fragrance Tsubaki oil from the southern islands of Japan (the highly prized Camellia oil - the "oil of Geisha and Samurai). This Choji Oil was used to oil the Katana, the sacred blades of the Samurai, as well as the hair of Samurai.

Clove was an expensive and rare imported material, and for centuries was associated with the scent of nobility. Clove was used to scent the Tsubaki oil, which in turn was used to oil the Katana, which over time was absorbed by the scabbard that sheathed the Katana. For this reason, the scent of Choji was the Scent of the Samurai, and would alert anyone nearby that a Samurai was in their presence.

In Japan, Agarwood (Jinkoh) was afforded by only the wealthiest class. For this reason, ruling Samurai families were the original practitioners of Kodo. Jinkoh was used in everything from Kodo, to making Nerikoh, and also used in fragrancing Kimono. Choji, as you would have it - was a common ingredient used in small quantities to enhance the scent of Agarwood.

Before battle, it was a common practice for a Samurai to offer a morning prayer over a Kodo session with Jinkoh. The scent of gently heated Agarwood would waft together with the scent of Choji. These two fragrances were the Scent of the Samurai - and Choji and Jinkoh were the Scent of Bushido - "The Way of the Samurai".

A few years back, an unopened bottle of Vintage 1906 Allspice Oil came into my possession. Amazingly, time has softened the bite of spiciness, and has created a lovely Coumerinic drydown that smells of Tonka. Although not Clove – this century-old Allspice had notes of Clove, and I am very fortunate to have acquired it.

I knew that Hindi, Cambodi, and Malay woods were part of the Rikkoku, and were "known Agarwoods" during the time of the Samurai. As luck would have it, I was wearing my Ma-lindi while filling an order for my Cambodi Pursat (my Ma-lindi being a combo of a sweet as can be 2011 Malay and my phenomenal Hindi Kachari). As I opened the bottle, the combined scent of three Ouds hit me, and Bushido was born!

I had been longing to recreate what I imagine a Samurai warrior would smell like on the brink of battle. When I finally found myself with the required ingredients in hand and the inspiration to move forward, this desire became a reality.

I composed Bushido using a select few ingredients that were the "common core" to all Japanese incense compositions in centuries past. Spices compliment Oud so nicely, giving it a warmth and vibrancy. Ambergris lends its exalting and fixative properties to give this oil an almost 3-D feel.

Needless to say...Bushido smells like a sophisticated aristocrat.
Are you the trained killer who can wear it?



REVIEWS:

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/442184-The-Rising-Phoenix-Perfumery-Sample-Impressions-Thread/page4

"BUSHIDO

I grew up on a diet of swordfighting TV serials and stories about medieval knights in the Crusades, shadowy ninjas and heroic samurais in feudal Japan. It was not without trepidation I smeared this rather thick dark brown oil on my wrist having no prior knowledge of its content nor its inspiration. Inadvertently I took it at its name and presumed it might be a Japanese incense of sorts.

I was correct but only as far as the Japanese connection is concerned. The first fragrance that came to my mind was Chilum with its tobacco-laced smoky sawdusty sandalwood. There is no tobacco in Bushido but there is a herbal spicy almost medicinal aspect about it that evokes the scent of traditional Chinese tonics. Texturally it feels somewhat resinous with a deep dark green impression when you consider a color wheel. Ruggedly masculine in its presentation and self-assured in character. It doesn't smell like a fragrance per se with its linear profile, but more like a side benefit to a functional material.

When I finally got down to researching it, the backstory is even more fascinating:

I'd love to get my hands on more of this stuff. It smells 'deadly', for lack of a better description, like something that might warn even the fiercest of Rottweilers to back off."

-Diamondflame

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