Nanohana (canola flower) candles, set of 40

Nanohana — rapeseed blossom — is a landmark of Noto island, traditionally when sailors saw its yellow fields they knew they were nearly home. These Wa-rosoku (hand rolled candles) renowned for their steady burning and even flame, are made of wax taken from the canola flower. The wicks are made of washi paper rolled about a rush skewer and the body built up by rotating this in the right hand whilst the hot wax is smoothed about the shaft with the left — a rarely practiced traditional art known as kiro-tegake-seiho — before the top is shaped and the rush removed leaving a hollow core.