In the mid-Edo period, the trade of safflower and other goods led to increased movement of people from the Kyoto area, and the culture of making Buddhist altars and religious implements was introduced from Kyoto.
In this environment, craftsmen who learned carving techniques in Edo began to work on carving transoms, Buddhist altar fittings, and other similar items.
Later, he began to produce Buddhist altars by bringing together lacquerers, maki-e artists, metalworkers, and other artisans.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. The structure of the "wooden base" is assembled using "mortise and tenon joints".

  2. The palace construction shall be based on the "hijiki-masugumi" (bracket and square bracket) method.

  3. The painting shall be done by hand using refined lacquer.

  4. Apply gold leaf using the maki-e and "matte-finish" techniques.

   

  raw materials

  1. The wood used shall be pine, cedar, zelkova, sen, linden, cypress, magnolia, or katsura, or timber of equivalent quality.

  2. The metal fittings shall be made of copper, a copper alloy, or a metal of equivalent material.

  ３ 漆は、天然漆とすること。

• Work scene

  Work scene

  YAMAGATA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) are made by the hands of seven craftsmen. Let's take a closer look at each step of the process.

  Step 1: Wood preparation

  This process accounts for the majority of the wooden construction. First, the thoroughly dried lumber is cut and the inside and outside of the Buddhist altar are temporarily assembled. All the components are cut based on the dimensions of the wooden support beam that is made first.
  This process alone takes a month to complete, making it a very time-consuming and painstaking task.

  

  Step 2: Palace

  By combining small pieces of wood, a complex yet magnificent palace is temporarily assembled in the inner sanctuary. The wood used here is selected for its ease of work, such as linden, cypress, and magnolia. After assembling the beams, small boxes are put together, which takes 10 days even with two people working together.

  

  工程3： 彫刻

  These are carvings that adorn transoms and pillars. The decorations are carved into soft linden wood. The decorative patterns are based on arabesque designs, and include flowers that are both showy and understated, such as peonies and chrysanthemums, as well as birds such as peacocks, cranes and phoenixes, and celestial maidens.
  Many artisans make their own carving tools to suit their preferences, and they choose these tools to match the handle they are carving.

  画像をクリックすると動画が再生されます

  Step 4: Painting

  The lacquer is applied and polished, and this process is repeated for two months. Because lacquer dries more easily in humid conditions, damp paper is placed at the bottom of a wooden box called a "furo" to allow it to dry.

  

  Step 5: Hardware

  After transferring the design onto a copper or brass plate, hundreds of different chisels are used to create subtle patterns on the metal plate.
  The final step in the metalworking process is to apply black or gold plating, further enhancing the solemnity of the Buddhist altar.

  画像をクリックすると動画が再生されます

  工程6： 蒔絵

  Before creating a dignified painting with lacquer, the lacquer is filtered about seven times using Japanese paper to remove fine dust. As the name "makie" suggests, gold and silver powder is sprinkled on top of the lacquered design, causing the painting to radiate light and stand out.

  

  Step 7: Foil stamping and assembly

  By gently pressing gold leaf coated with lacquer dissolved in alcohol onto the altar, it quickly transforms into a golden structure. The gold leaf used for this process is extremely thin, made by stretching one gram of gold into a one-meter square, and as many as 1300 sheets of gold leaf are applied to a single altar.
  Because the thin gold leaf is sensitive to wind, we keep the windows closed to prevent wind from getting in, even in the middle of summer. It's a very demanding job that requires a lot of patience.
  Using bamboo chopsticks for gold leaf application is a technique to prevent static electricity from causing the gold leaf to stick to the chopsticks.
  The Buddhist altar is completed at the very end of all the processes, when it is assembled.

  

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  Buddhist YAMAGATA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) from Yamagata, a region rooted in the faith of the mountains.

  With hands clasped together, I face the Buddhist altar, thinking of my ancestors. Yamagata, with its towering sacred mountains, is a town of merchants and artisans in the Tohoku region, rich in trees for making Buddhist altars. The solemnity of YAMAGATA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars), made from wood cut from the local mountains and lacquer, is the result of a 300-year tradition that takes into consideration the feelings of those who pray.

   

  The craftsmanship nurtured in a land embraced by mountains and nature.

  Surrounded by mountains, Yamagata has long been a region where woodworking and lacquerware techniques have taken root. It is said that Buddhist altars were first introduced to Yamagata in the mid-Edo period, when Hoshino Kichibei Hirotaka brought them back from Edo. It was perhaps inevitable that the art of making Buddhist altars, which embodies the pinnacle of craftsmanship, would flourish in Yamagata, a region that lacks abundant timber resources and high-quality lacquer.
  The Buddhist altars of Yamagata, which spread mainly throughout the Tohoku region, have soothed people's hearts for over 300 years.

  The division of labor led to a deeper understanding of technology.

  "We've been making Buddhist altars through a division of labor since around the Meiji era," says Yoshio Suzuki, a traditional craftsman who also works on the carving of the altars. "In the past, one person would do all the processes, but that wouldn't allow the region to grow. By dividing the work, we became the number one Buddhist altar production area in Tohoku." A craft based on division of labor cannot work unless each person fulfills their own duties. If someone's skills are low, the advanced skills of other craftsmen will be ruined. However, by dividing the work, each craftsman can deepen their own skills, which in turn raises the overall level of perfection of the Buddhist altars.

  

  Foil stamping. It's more difficult to apply to a flat surface than to engraving.

  The essential part of the division of labor for Buddhist altars: Buddhist altar sales

  "These days, we don't sell wholesale anymore; we make them to order." Shotaro Inoue has been in charge of selling Buddhist altars for generations, a traditional division of labor in the Buddhist altar industry. In the past, manufacturing and sales were often separate, but nowadays, there are more and more Buddhist altar sellers like Mr. Inoue who employ many craftsmen. Being close to the manufacturing site allows him to immediately convey customer requests to the craftsmen. "These days, houses are smaller, you know. The dimensions of Buddhist altar rooms are different from before, so we're seeing more customers wanting smaller altars." Changes in housing conditions are bringing a breath of fresh air to the tradition of Buddhist altars.

  A gold-plated Buddhist altar is the basic form of a Buddhist altar.

  Why is it necessary to go to such lengths to honor one's ancestors? "When you pray before something of good quality, your heart finds peace. You can't achieve that with a cheap Buddhist altar," says Mr. Inoue. A Buddhist altar, emitting a dazzling light while simultaneously exuding a sense of calm, brings satisfaction to those who pray and perform memorial services.
  "Recently, there has been an increase in Buddhist altars made of hardwood, but the basic form of a Buddhist altar is a gold one." The act of joining one's hands together facing the light is a culture that the Japanese people have passed down through generations. Light is said to be a symbol of the sun, which bestows blessings upon all.

  

  A Buddhist altar from Yamagata that takes into consideration the feelings of those who pray.

  A true craftsman refuses to do work they are not satisfied with.

  Delicate carvings, palaces formed by assembling tiny pieces of wood to create temples—the work is flawless. "Some of our predecessors would say, 'I'm not satisfied!' and destroy what they had made. From our perspective, it was an enviable achievement." It seems that the era in which Suzuki grew up was a time when craftsmen took the greatest pride in their work.

  A sturdy structure that can be used to enshrine ancestors for generations.

  "The other day, I restored a 200-year-old Buddhist altar," says Mr. Inoue, a Buddhist altar dealer. He also undertakes the repair and reassembly of old altars. Old altars can be disassembled and restored perfectly by repainting them with gold leaf and lacquer. Unfortunately, those made with cheap materials are simply disposable.
  "A good Buddhist altar only becomes more refined with age." Cheaper ones just wear out. However, "Lifestyles have changed now. If you use a stove inside the house, the stains on the gold leaf become impossible to remove." It seems that the old way of life helped to make good things last longer.

  Yamagata wood is best suited to Yamagata lacquer.

  Recently, domestically produced lacquer has decreased significantly, and imported lacquer is now commonplace. Imported lacquer has even made its way into the world of traditional crafts. "You can tell when you try it, but Yamagata wood is best suited to Yamagata lacquer," says Mr. Suzuki, who has lived through an era where locally sourced lacquer is no longer used.
  The wood, imbued with the spiritual power of the mountains of Michinoku, is surely best suited to lacquer nurtured by the same mountain's energy. Of course, our ancestors, who have lived off the blessings of the mountains of Michinoku, would surely be happier to be enshrined with wood from the same mountains.
  These Yamagata YAMAGATA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars), evoke a sense of gratitude towards our ancestors who lived amidst the harsh natural environment of Tohoku and protected agriculture and the mountains.

  

  The techniques used in making Buddhist altars are also applied to the construction of portable shrines.

  Anecdotes

  Why do they spend so much money to commemorate someone who has passed away?

   

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    The mountains of Yamagata. Perhaps the power of snow was an irresistible natural threat to people in the past.

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    Does praying at a Buddhist altar not only honor one's ancestors but also reflect consideration for the future?