In Vietnam since ancient times, Kynam or kyara in Japanese is considered a high-class tribute only to kings and princes. With a strong aroma, Kynam or kyara in Japanese is also a source of precious medicinal herbs as well as a high-class product for people. Agarwood is more valuable than gold, but Kynam or kyara in Japanese is even more expensive and is called “The king of agarwood”, “First agarwood”. Why is that ?
- Why is Kynam or kyara in Japanese so valuable?
The formation process of Kynam or kyara in Japanese and agarwood is similar and miraculous as its value. As normal agarwood, Kynam or kyara in Japanese is located deep in primeval old forests, influenced by the external environment that forms on the trunk of the Aquilaria crassna tree. It is the period of increasing the resistance of the plant when having to fight against strong natural forces such as natural disasters such as broken, broken branches, rotting, or being harmed by other organisms. The infected site will secrete oil that acts similar to a human “plasma”, covering the injured part to avoid spreading and isolating the site, eventually creating a Kynam or kyara in Japanese. Kynam or kyara in Japanese usually forms mostly under the roots and stumps, these areas are often affected by ants and other insects, and the ground is also home to many fungi and microorganisms, making it easy for the plant to get sick and make oil.
Not all plants that can produce agarwood produce Kynam or kyara in Japanese. The tree is distributed in many Southeast Asian countries, but only a handful of countries are fortunate to be able to create this “divine” medicinal product. In particular, Vietnam is proud to be the country with the largest Kynam or kyara in Japanese production in the world, the quality of Kynam or kyara in Japanese or agarwood here is considered the top and most sought after.
- What is the difference between Kynam or kyara in Japanese and agarwood?
As mentioned above, high-quality Kynam or kyara in Japanese is formed from the core of the Aquilaria crassna tree. However, they have different characteristics. Kynam or kyara in Japanese is usually 10-20 times more expensive than agarwood and of course, the quality is also many times higher. To distinguish agarwood andKynam or kyara in Japanese, people often base on the aroma and crystalline form of the oil, more or less plasticization to identify.
Kynam or kyara in Japanese contains a lot of essential oils, moist oils, usually dark brown or black, softwood is almost like beeswax, stuck on the tip of the tongue will feel numb and maintain a long numb state. Kynam or kyara in Japanese has a very sweet fragrance, although it is wrapped in many layers, it still cannot hide the fragrance. Moreover, when compared with the agarwood, the period is heavier and stronger, full of sweet, spicy, bitter, sour, very delicious flavor, when exposed to fire, the smoke will fly straight and soaring.
Whereas, agarwood is made up of less resin-impregnated wood, less aromatic concentration, brown or black-brown streaked wood. When burning, it produces a light scent, agglomerate smoke is swirling, easily dissolves quickly in the air.
- Kynam or kyara in Japanese classification
For Kynam or kyara in Japanese, the category division is most sharply shown in the proverb that is often transmitted by people “First Bach, Second Thanh, Third Huynh, Fourth Hac”. The characteristics of the four types of Ky nam are identified through colors and properties as follows:
Bach Ky (white Kynam ) has white color and contains the most oil content. The soft substance surrounding it seems to have a layer of fine white sugar attached. When cutting out, there will be reddish-brown inside, but for a while, that location will fall back to a brighter color. This type is extremely rare on the market today
Thanh Ky (green Kynam) is greenish, less oil is hard, more oil is soft
Huynh Ky (yellow Kynam ) is yellow with beeswax resin, heavy and hard
Hac Ky (Black Kynam ) has hard black color, like tar and heavy
- The value of Kynam or kyara in Japanese
The price of Kynam or kyara in Japanese depends on the volume classification of it, the quality of the oil contained in the wood, the type of Kynam or kyara in Japanese, even whether it is submerged or not. The price for Kynam or kyara in Japanese fluctuates between 2 billion – 6 billion with 1kg of Kynam or kyara in Japanese is not submerged. For Kynam or kyara in Japanese with high oil content and sinking, the price will range from 8-16 billion VND per 1kg.
The pricelessness of Kynam or kyara in Japanese takes into the mind of the Vietnamese people with many legends such as “Catch Kynam”, “looking for agarwood,” or proverbial verses such as “Men hunt Kynam, women farm”, … People in the past lived a miserable life all year round, and if they could afford any money, they would collect them as luggage for their husbands on male hunting trips without a word of complaint. But they believe it is a worthwhile trade-off. If a dream come true, agarwood will lift families out of poverty. But luck still eludes the majority of people, the winning numbers are not many, and the people with no hands are countless. Or like the story of “holding up the wormwood, holding the charm” to go to the cave hunting because people say that where there is a time, a tiger is guarding it. Therefore, every person who goes hunting period must bring a little charm, a little wormwood to deal with when facing uncertainties. That is enough to prove how great Ky nam is, making everyone unable to regret their efforts to hunt for it in life.
