nowas
A Japanese fragrance brand launched by Nippon Kodo in 2026, linking past and present through the spirit of wa and Japan's incense heritage.
Japan
About nowas
nowas is a fragrance brand launched on February 13, 2026 by Nippon Kodo, the Tokyo incense maker. Its coined name layers WA, meaning harmony, between NOW and WAS, the present and the past.
History
The project grew out of the scent culture and aesthetic sensibility cultivated by the Nippon Kodo Group across 450 years, reframed for a new generation. An internal project team centered on Generation Z employees worked alongside in-house perfumers, bringing contemporary sensibilities to the company's olfactory knowledge. The debut was marked by a limited-run pop-up at Shibuya PARCO.
Philosophy & Signature Style
The guiding idea is the fragrant amulet. Sengoku warriors who perfumed their helmets, Heian nobles who exchanged feelings through scent, the incense woods that supported Muromachi artistic disciplines, and the Edo sachets carried for peace of mind are each reinterpreted as moments in a contemporary day. The design makes that continuity visible: a wooden cap stands for WAS, while the flat bottle and its striking colorways speak for NOW.
Iconic Fragrances
The debut eaux de parfum number four: AQT, a woody amber drawn from the Sengoku era; TIE, a woody musk echoing Heian court correspondence; ZEP, a woody green inspired by Muromachi arts; and WAF, a woody balsam built on the Edo scented sachet. All four come in a portable 15 mL format.
