An excerpt from Vern Sneider's "Teahouse of the August Moon" says this:

"...He held up an oblong box of highly polished wood with openings cut in the sides and top. '...We call this a perfumed pillow. See, there's a drawer and little incense burner on the inside.'"

The book says that the pillow was used to perfume hair, but I think that I've read somewhere else that they could also be used to perfume kimono, if they smell musty from being put away for awhile. Has anyone else read this either? I was wondering if the smoke from the incense would damage the silk. It sounds like a good way of getting rid of that musty, grandma's attic smell that my yukata came with... but I would know where to start to get them, or how to make one. Any ideas?

They used to do that all the time, I have pictures of antique Edo Period perfume boxes, and pictures of reproductions being used. The incence doesn't put out huge waves of smoke, it's barely perceptible. It wouldn't hurt the clothing anymore than if I sprayed it with Febreeze.

If it's just for your yukata, there's really no need to build a perfume box, just use Febreeze (modern odor-removers are designed with cotton in mind).

Or the traditional way is to hang it in the sunshine (not too long).

Regards,
JL