Bamboo Incense Box

A shallow bamboo box with a pierced lid, for burning incense slowly.

The lid is cut through so the smoke finds its own way out, and the box holds the burn low and even under it, so a coil lasts the afternoon. Bamboo has done this job since incense was first burned indoors, light enough to move and dense enough not to scorch. Each lid carries its own pattern: the bagua octagon for guarding a space, the lattice squares for order, the long box for a single stick.

It suits a tea table, a desk, or a windowsill where the air moves.