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Lavamapsbar – :
Very similar to vintage escada Pour Homme. Nice stuff!
Albann770 – :
Basala is a particularly well-constructed release featuring a plethora of notes, highly interwoven – this style of complex integration seems now a pretty much-forgotten skill in perfumery. Overall its dry, herbal, caraway and lavendery aspects are prominent, it’s slightly bitter and warm, but there is so much more going on – it also smells perfectly civilised, soft-spoken and timeless. I cannot put my finger on what it reminds me off, having this familiar, cosy aspect to it. When it came out, of course, Shiseido’s Feminite du Bois was receiving all the curiosity due to its genuinely innovative style. I imagine that Basala, even with its proper ‘designer’ bottle by Marc Newson and men’s cosmetic products, must have suffered under this – together with the certain classicism, the fragrance has, attention in ’93 was elsewhere. A shame it’s been discontinued, it being maybe the only truly great men’s fragrance by the company. Despite this strange familiarity I get each time smelling Basala – that recalls me of another, yet unknown scent, I cannot point out to anything similar – what resonates with it, however, is YSL’s original Jazz, from a few years earlier around that time, and Frédéric Malle’s French Lover…
Tausnourabawnas – :
One of the best perfumes ever produced ! Own a bottle back in 94 to 96. Great scent, absolutely love it at that time. Gorgeous. Compliment getter. Enquired Shisiedo outlet was told that frag was discontinued. Why discontinue such an amazing frag? Hope it will be revived.
iimeda – :
I like this cologne and would like to buy more of it. It is hard to find or more than I want to pay. It is a good scent, last a long time.
rafeNague – :
I am selling a splash bottle and a spray bottle. PM if interested.
Thanks
apyuanwi – :
everytime I wear this I travel back to the late 80’s this scent was my signature for a while, it’s an extremely sexy juice and the ladies will notice that quite soon, pretty much has already been said about the notes…. I do wonder why such incredible gem has been taken out of the market….
Hxyasyys – :
Well! Basara was my husband’s favourite perfume – and mine on him!! It was exquisite. It’s such a tragedy that it is not made any more. It was the most gorgeous, unique, divine, sensual, luxurious, glorious, warm, oriental, sweet, spicy, herby, opulent, masculine, smooth, creamy, heavenly fragrance. Oh how we wish they still made it!!! And the bottle is the most gorgeous creation ever!!! Such a fabulous colour and shape, and so beautiful to hold. We have it on display (the empty bottle, sob…sob!) in our home, and I love gazing at it, and handling it. It’s so beautifully made. Bottle and perfume: a masterpiece!!!
Maximka92 – :
I finaly fullfilled one of my greatest wishes.
To find a bottle of this extremely rare perfume by finding 6 minis in a very reasonable price.
So i create a 30ml bottle of the First version called BASARA.
The quality is unbelievable and the perfume is so unique and complicated the leaves you speechless.
It deserves a place in Pantheon of male frangrances.
Amiros7830 – :
I threw this one away, it just smelt damp and dark extremely woody. Like a damp basement. It is a shame as it is like some frags going for serious money. However I think the bin is where it would have felt at home.
don andrik64 – :
This week I managed to get a pristine, vintage first edition of this beautiful fragrance – when it was first released it was called “Basara” – and it really is bewitching, sexy and extremely beautiful.
I have trouble distinguishing components in an elixir like this that is so wonderfully blended that the effect is one of sublime harmony and balance in which the components work together so perfectly that I find it difficult to identify them.
My first impression is wonder – the opening comes across to me as slightly sweet, slightly woody, slightly floral and slightly resinous but I honestly cannot identify the individual notes that go to create this effect, which for me elicits thoughts of luxury and comfort.
This is a very sophisticated fragrance that on my skin seems to evolve over the course of an hour or so – the sweetness and floral-ness fade and a beautiful woody note emerges towards the dry-down.
As an amateur, although a lifelong collector, I still lack some of the technical jargon that might more effectively convey my impressions for others, so I will try to do what I can with the limited palette of my lexicon.
How does one translate a rich, evolving and serenely beautiful fragrance into words to accurately express one’s response? Words are simply inadequate in this instance.
I can only echo the reviews of more experienced professionals below.
I utterly adore this fragrance. As I have only a very limited supply I intend to reserve it for very special occasions when I want to feel confident, mysterious, seductive and luxurious, because this is how Basara makes me feel.
Some men might have trouble with the slight floral and sweet notes, but these are incorporated in a very masculine way, and the effect reminds me of Chanel’s Antaeus – which, I should point out, I haven’t worn or even smelled since I was a teenager in the 1980s, when it was my first ever signature scent.
The longevity and silage are quite good and better than many contemporary frags, but I wish I had this in an EdP.
I have become a huge fan of the house of Shiseido and having lived in Japan, I find their fragrances successfully evoke a sense of the beauty and elegance of traditional Japan.
Basara is in some ways a paradox as it incorporates some floral and some sweet resiny notes that might not be traditionally associated with the old-fashioned notions of what men’s fragrance ought to smell like, but the overall effect is one of rich, dignified elegance, of exquisite luxury and comfort, and of “dignitas” in the Ancient Roman sense, if you understand what I mean by that. I love complex fragrances who components combine beautifully to create a “symphony” (this is a metaphor I find very useful in describing certain fragrances and Basara is one of the finest examples of an olfactory symphony).
Overall I love and adore this and I am trying to find more.
This has not dated in any way as to my mind it never conformed to any prevailing trend in the first place, so it remains a rare gem of superlative beauty and is without doubt one of the Crown Jewels of my collections.
Rainpick – :
@loischanricky thank you for your informative response
lavrik – :
@Bodda89:
This perfume was named ” BASARA”（ばさら or 伐折羅, depends on what meaning you refer to), soon changed into “BASALA”.
It’s Japanese, but the words originated from Sanskrit.
There are two meanings:
The first one goes with the Hiragana characters as “ばさら”, it refers to a social trend in 14th century that people whould wear expensive and beautiful clothes. The word
” ばさら” came from Sanskrit “vajra” which means ” diamond” and ” thunderbolt”. Sometimes this word “ばさら” also means “a will that can refuse the power of tradition, a will that wants to live freely”.
The second one will appear in 漢字(Chinese characters used in Japanese) as “伐折羅”, this word also came from Sanskrit “vajra”, but it means a Kongōrikishi (金剛力士, in Sanskrit as ” Vajradhāra”) or Niō (仁王). They are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha. If you visit a Buddhist temple, you will see those guardians standing in the front gate, holding a weapon. They are manifestations of the Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi protector deity,also the oldest and most powerful of the Mahayana pantheon.
Apsolon – :
Basala if pronounced in Arabic means literally an onion and i searched other languages in Google for this word and didn’t find a word that matches it any one knows what does this word mean.
serik60 – :
This is a unique fragrance. I am fortunate to have one more bottle. And hope to find more. Its quite spicy and complexed. Leather, cinammon, musk and labdanum create an amazing perfume. It was a true gem by Shiseido.
zz999zz – :
I’m fortunate to still have some left – which I use VERY sparingly in fear of running out. Such a GORGEOUS SCENT!!! So disappointing that it’s been discontinued. If you happen to come across it, even if it’s the Aftershave, BUY IT! Worth every penny, IMHO!
puzatik345 – :
i used to wear this beautiful perfume when i was in my early 20s. i loved it so much . Unfortunately, they discontinued it. Hope shiseido will remake it….
WeeliEmball – :
IT. Ultimamente si può trovarlo soltanto su eBay ed i prezzi sono saliti ai livelli dei profumi di nicchia (€250-350). Peggio di tutto che hai un tasso altissimo delle possibilità di ricevere uno contrafatto, come successo a me. Strano che essendo così richiesto la produzione di Basala non viene rinnovata da Shiseido, che insiste invece di produrre il ZEN, che secondo me anche fra 100 anni non verrà apprezzato come Basala solo dopo 20 anni dalla sua prima uscita.
EN. Lately you can find it only on eBay and the prices have risen to the level of niche perfumes ($350-490). I tried to order one and the perfume that was send me was the fake one. So be careful. It’s so strange that being so required, the production of Basala still wasn’t renewed by Shiseido, instead of the production of ZEN, which, I think even after 100 years won’t be appreciated as Basala today, only 20 years after its first release.
ChVK – :
Some say this fragrance is complex, and you’d certainly think so from the ingredients: Top notes are rosemary, artemisia, lavender, green notes, fruity notes, clary sage, basil, neroli and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, fir, cinnamon, jasmine, caraway and rose; base notes are labdanum, leather, amber, patchouli, musk, coconut, oakmoss and cedar.
Wow, what a nose full you’d expect, right? But in my impression of it, I can’t detect many of these notes. Perhaps it’s their confluence that blends together so well. For instance, to me I smell sandalwood… but it’s not there in the list. Its cousin is–cedar. Perhaps the intermixing of leather and musk with it ends up reflecting sandalwood? The middle notes are almost completely transparent to me. I do sense some rose essence, as well as musk and oakmoss. The base notes do seem stronger than the rest. While the cedar is prominent, it is very tamed and soft. And something about it combined with the musk is just delicious.
In some ways I find Basala to be somewhere between Chanel Antaeus and a Musk forward fragrance like Royall Muske. Frankly, for the kind of crazy prices it has been going for on “that auction site”, ultimately I do not think it is really worth it any longer. Unfortunately there are enough people feeling otherwise that keeps the remaining dwindling stock in the on-line marketplaces to be financially challenging. And so… I savor what little I have of it. :-/ 9.4/10 for fragrance, 7.0/10 for value (based on exorbitant market prices).
serv_centr – :
Este perfume lo compre cuando salio a la venta en 1993,yo me encontraba en Itaia,me llamo la atencion la publicidad,la bottella sobre un fondo de llamas,y me gusto mucho, es elegante , varonil,unico, en mi pais, nunca estubo a la venta, lo conservo como algo muy especial, me lo aplico muy poco, y sabiendo que esta descontinuado mas, me siento afortunado de tenerlo.
imv041speagoessenda – :
Oh my this was magnificent! There is absolutely nothing quite like it. I brought this back from Europe in the mid-nineties, and being in my 20’s I loved it, but perhaps a bit too much for me then. My roommate quite rightly stole it from me, lol and we both would love to get our hands on some today, but it’s nearly impossible. This was indeed a true masculine floral herbal oriental spicebomb! The middle notes of caraway, cinnamon and carnation particularly stand out to me in my memory of this masterpiece. The bottle, by Marc Newson, is also noteworthy being by one of the most famous designers in the world. Not sure why he is not noted in the Fragrantica description.
op_redline – :
if you are interested in purchasing a bottle of Basala, I have one of the first edition, as you know at first I edit the name of Basara, but was quickly superseded by the name of Basala, I have a bottle of the first and rare edition with the name of Basara.
Romanoss – :
Howdy Fragranticans – this is bloody impossible to source in Oz. My brother’s holidaying in Japan in 2013 so I’ll twist his arm and maybe he’ll be able to find me some. From memory, I recall it smelt similar to Antaeus. But different enough for me to “need” both. Oh and BTW, the bottle was designed by world renowned (Aussie!!) industrial designer Marc Newson.
attaskeme – :
To me this is not fresh at all, but spicy it is, thats for sure.
Very nice and warm winter frag although I found it hard to go through the whole bottle.
Beiweednere – :
I’m also a very big fan go this fragrance. In fact this is my favorite one. It reminds me my first love, beautiful sunny but melancholic autumn, serenity and calming. Basala is so perfect that I cannot imagine better fragrance. All notes makes Basala the most sensual fragrance I’ve ever had. It’s combination of tobacco, wood, cherry, amber, leather and much more cause you can always discover something new in Basala… I’m so unhappy that it’s discounted and I can’t get in anywhere. I tried so many fragrances but I can’t find a similar one. So magical, so wonderful, so unique… like first love. I love Basala.
Lizka707 – :
Sexy, sexy, sexy.
This scent is very cool.
The smell is really attractive.
I also love the fact that it is extremely unique.
Not the best pefume that I’ve smelled, but it is a very good scent.
polmo – :
I love this perfume for long time. This is the best perfume for me.
It is discontinued. I am going to miss it.
ALEX_TECH – :
I’m not sure if it’s just the suggestion of the color, but this has a similar fruity opening to Xeryus Rouge. It continues on with pepper and herbs also like Xeryus Rouge, but this is more balmy. In short, I would liken this to a balmy Xeryus Rouge. Not really my cup of tea. It does have less vanilla than the XR, and that’s a good thing, but not enough to save it. I will give it a few more wears to see if it grows on me, but at this point, I don’t think I would purchase this again.
UPDATE: I did a side by side with Xeryus Rouge, and the opening is VERY similar, but after 15-30 minutes, they start to differ, and after 1 hour the difference is stark. Basara takes a nice dry cedary mossy turn, where XR starts to really sweeten up and even turn sour on my skin. I find the drydown of Basara somewhat flat though. I would have loved a little more artemisia and sage. The cedar is a very nice cedar, and I swear I sense vetiver in the base as well. There is a healthy dose of labdanum, but somehow all this falls flat. Still loads better than Xeryus Rouge.
neprunov.oleg – :
Here we are talking about a perfume that has left his incredible trail over the years Basara, Basala or if you prefer opens with an austere tone of forest and undergrowth of grasses, the idea is to explore the enchanted forests of fairy tales with risks attached, but this fragrance by a sense of daring and courage, rustic touches to keep us anchored to reality with herbs that blend with the sweetness of the flower arrangements entrancing, the fund has a very masculine patchouli and a valuable leather fabulous. the fund Basala reminds Spirit by Hugo Boss, are indeed those scents that I call the witches’ cauldron where they come potions and enchanting, it is precisely this …
The bottle is very pretty reminiscent of the samurai, people who do not have to ask ….
never ……
lehhel – :
I wish I could find this someplace…
blu 75 – :
Mirar que he probado perfumes de todas las marcas en casi 30 años; pero como este ninguno, el mejor de todos.
Y AHORA LO RETIRAN UNA GRAN PENA
Xeroxcwzmt – :
Tried this in a store back in 1993 – I remember it being a striking fragrance but really gorgeous and complex – a fine cologne ! And, what a great flacon !
zahar04 – :
Complex and bold; not in an overstated way but certainly not understated either. It balances on that fine line of being overtly masculine while maintaining an air of refinement. I am not skilled enough to pick up on the individual notes but I get a wonderful opening of herbs with a drydown of very spicy fir and musk. This is a truly wonderful scent, one I will treasure for as long as I can get my hands on it!
dimarik78 – :
This is an extremely powerful and masculine fragrance. It has a very strong personality. Too bad it’s SO hard to find. HIghly recommendable for evenings.
nea892bedyWelty – :
Somehow similar to Xeryus Rouge,which means, fantastic, spicy… I just wish it could be easily found… and with reasonable price!
flj171Unlogrere – :
Delicioso, muy masculino. Pero aquí en Argentina está discontinuado!! Una lástima…
uel453intitytek – :
Certainly a complex fragrance, actually too complex, as if it wants to be all fragrances to all people. The main thing I liked about Basala was it’s deep base note of oakmoss. However, all of the intense synthetic spiciness added to it just flattens the oakmoss, pushing it way into the background. Smells like it wants to be Egoiste, Polo, Eau de Monsieur, Eau d’Issey and JOOP all at once, and not really good at being any of those. An average fragrance at best. I bought this about ten years ago, got so sick of wearing it, I threw it in the trash after a month. I’ve heard it’s been discontinued, and I don’t miss it.
shavyrovevgenii – :
I found it in the local department store, under a major layer of dust. After long trying to hunt it on eBay, where the prices are mad.
When my heart rate got back to passable 200, I tried it. In ten seconds, I fell in love. Lavender, mint, pepper, whoknowswhat, unidentifiable herbs – the memory last week’s trip to botanical garden was kicking my shin all the time – rosemary, I suppose.
Ten minutes later, I fell in love again. Some dry spicy notes that vaguely reminded me of Asja surfaced, with a bit of lemon and something sweet. Asja and mojito would be a decent equivalent of heaven.
The drydown is warm and spicy and cooling and vetivery at the same time.
The fragrance changes at least three times, I’ve never smelled anything like that – there are notes that are almost contradictory – pungent and smooth and soothing, spicy hot and sweet… Tomorrow I’m going to buy it because I just cannot live without it.
Now, judging from the other reviews, I gotta be a big tough guy.
SavDaniil – :
Chypre-spicy.
Japanese word ‘basala’ stands for a sanskrit word meaning ‘gem’, a talisman which daunted the chaos and bad spirits, held by Buddha .
In XIV century, when Japan was in a bad condition, the name ‘basala’ was given to men of a great spiritual strenght, able to nix the chaos and renew the world.
The originators of the fragrance felt that the last decade of the XX century, with its rush and mess, resmebled the Japanese middle ages. They wanted to create a scent that would help a contemporary man in spiritual rebirth and assert his strenght, intelligence and sensibility.
A man using Basala is not afraid to look at himself critically, he is intelligent, free and sensitive, respects beauty and art.
The red bottle may resemble the silhouette of a samurai.
paranomlzk – :
This one was a dissapointment for me. After a really great and one of a kind begining it changed in the direction I didn’t like. It was going weaker and weaker. It lasted – that’s true. But I don’t like the way it smelled after 2 hours. So I sold it…
izeliya – :
Warm, friendly, sound, rather oriental smell. I like when men wear it. Smelled of Basala is a truthworthy and very attractive.