Supported by a strong Buddhist faith, the art of making Buddhist altars had developed early on in this region, and by the early Edo period, there were already specialty shops.
These large wholesalers formed guilds, honed their skills as a group of craftsmen, and nurtured traditional techniques and methods.
In the early Meiji period, a cooperative was formed, and NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) were exhibited at industrial exhibitions held throughout the country. This expanded the market area, and Nagoya grew into a major production center. Today, there are over 200 businesses, and many traditional craftsmen create Buddhist altars.

• 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 lintels shall be either "straight lintels" or "helmet-shaped lintels."

  3. The shoji screens shall be either "through-screens" or "flower-shaped screens."

  Four of the units must be equipped with a "mitsumakuri" (a type of security device).

  5. Palace construction should be based on the "hijiki-masugumi" (bracket and square bracket) method.

  6. The painting shall be done by hand using refined lacquer, and in the case of "wood grain painting," a "roiro finish" shall be applied.

  7. Apply maki-e (lacquerware with gold or silver powder) and gold leaf.

   

  raw materials

  1. The wood used shall be cypress, zelkova, rosewood, ebony, sandalwood, yew, or sen wood, 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

  The process of making a Buddhist altar can be broadly divided into eight stages: woodworking, palace construction, carving, painting, metalwork, maki-e (gold lacquer), haku-oshi (gold leaf application), and assembly. Each of these stages is handled by eight specialized craftsmen known as the "eight craftsmen." Each Buddhist altar is a collaborative work of highly skilled artisans.

  Step 1: Wood preparation

  The raw materials, such as cypress wood, are dried, cut, and the interior and exterior parts of the Buddhist altar are created and temporarily assembled. The wooden base consists of a total of 27 parts, all of which are joined using mortise and tenon joints. Mortise and tenon joints are a method of joining pieces of wood together without using nails, and they allow for disassembly and repair. The high base, the "mitsumakuri" (three liftable doors on the front of the base), and the "nageshi" (straight lintel), which are characteristic features of NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) are also made at this stage of wooden base construction.

  

  Step 2: Palace Construction

  The roof and pillars of the palace inside the Buddhist altar, as well as the platform on which the Buddha statue is placed, are made and temporarily assembled. The palace is divided into five types depending on the Buddhist sect, including "Kuden Goboyo style," "Goboyo style," and "Shogon style." In Nagoya, the Kuden Goboyo style of the Jodo Shinshu Otani sect (Higashi Betsuin) accounts for more than half of the palaces.

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  工程3： 彫刻

  Carvings of flowers, birds, dragons, arabesque patterns, celestial beings, and other motifs are created according to the composition. The carvings are made from wood such as cypress, Japanese white pine, and zelkova that have been naturally dried in the sun. The exquisite craftsmanship of the carvings on NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) which are placed on top of the lintels and around the palace-like structures, is said to be among the finest in the country.

  

  Step 4: Painting

  A base coat of polishing powder is applied, followed by the application of lacquer. There are 34 areas to be painted, and four different methods are used depending on the area: "wood grain painting," "roiro painting," "vertical painting," and "gold leaf painting." Roiro painting is a technique in which the lacquered surface is polished and flattened using a whetstone and Suruga charcoal, and is handled by specialized craftsmen called roiro masters.

  

  Step 5: Making decorative metal fittings

  Following the design, metal fittings that adorn various parts of the Buddhist altar are created by using chisels and hammers to raise or remove carved patterns. These decorative metal fittings are divided into "inner fittings" and "outer fittings" depending on where they are used, and each is handled by a specialized craftsman.

  画像をクリックすると動画が再生されます

  Step 6: Makie (lacquerware decoration)

  After applying a base coat, gold and silver powders are used to paint designs according to the pattern. There are several types of maki-e: "gold maki-e," "rust maki-e," "tate maki-e (three-dimensional maki-e)," and "flat maki-e."

  

  Step 7: Foil stamping

  Gold leaf is applied on top of the lacquer. First, a layer of pressed lacquer is applied evenly, then the lacquer is wiped off with cotton, and gold leaf with a purity of 95.24 percent or higher is pressed onto the surface using gold leaf chopsticks. After that, excess gold leaf is brushed off by rubbing it with a stick to which cotton is tied. NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) are characterized by a matte finish called "tsuyakeshioki," which is achieved by adjusting the degree of wiping.

  

  工程8： 組立

  The parts, each made by a specialist, are assembled. First, the decorative metal fittings are attached, then the palace, body, and interior are assembled. After attaching each part and wiping it down with a cloth, a thorough check is performed before the piece is complete.

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  Put a gold sticker that says "Pure Land of Paradise"

  NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) are characterized by their high bases, the liftable doors called "mitsumakuri" on the front of the base, and their luxurious construction with extensive use of gold leaf. We spoke with Susumu Niwa, who has worked for many years as a gold leaf applicator (a specialist who applies gold leaf to lacquered surfaces) in Nagoya, where the penetration rate of Buddhist altars among households is said to be nearly 10 percentage points higher than the national average of 40 percent.

   

  Gold Buddhist altars line the street of Buddhist altars

  South of Osu Kannon in Nagoya lies a street called Monzenmachi-dori. It's a shopping street leading from Osu towards Higashi Betsuin, and it's known as "Butsudan-dori" (Buddhist Altar Street) with dozens of large and small Buddhist altar and religious goods shops lined up. NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) in the shop windows are all large, luxurious, and eye-catching, but what stands out most is the extensive use of gold leaf, which is said to be a characteristic of Buddhist altars of the Jodo Shinshu Otani sect (Higashi Betsuin), which accounts for 70% of the altars in this region. Currently, the main sellers are those called No. 20, which are about 170 cm high, 66 cm wide, and 53 cm deep. They say they're not that big, but it's amazing that Buddhist altars of this size still sell in urbanized Nagoya.

  The thickness of the gold leaf is one-thousandth of a millimeter.

  Susumu Niwa was born into a family of gold leaf artisans, a lineage that has continued since his grandfather's generation, and has been doing this work for over 50 years since he was 19. "It looks easy, doesn't it? But it's surprisingly difficult," says Niwa. He swiftly picks up gold leaf sandwiched between thin sheets of paper using special chopsticks called foil chopsticks, and then pastes it onto lacquered boards one after another. These are parts that will be used for the inside of Buddhist altar doors and the wall behind the main image of Buddha. Once the entire surface is covered with gold leaf, he uses a bamboo stick with cotton tied to it to brush away any excess at the seams between the gold leaf pieces. His demonstrations at special classes in local elementary schools and traditional craft fairs are very popular, but when he lets people try it, they don't do it well. They can't even pick up the gold leaf, which is only one-thousandth of a millimeter thick, with chopsticks. They end up getting it on their hands and crumpling it up. Since it's not cheap, Niwa says he also struggled at first.

  

  There are four types of gold leaf, depending on their gold content. Their thickness is only one-thousandth of a millimeter.

  Conditions that change depending on climate and weather

  However, the real challenge lies in the fact that the conditions for applying gold leaf change completely depending on the climate and weather. "It's no good if there's wind," he said, and I thought it would blow away, but that wasn't the case. Apparently, the lacquer used to apply the gold leaf, called "oshi-urushi," doesn't dry easily when there's wind. If it takes too long to dry, the gold discolors and turns bluish. He said that the windy early spring is especially dangerous. Also, during the rainy season, the humidity is too high and the lacquer dries out too much. If it dries out, the gold leaf won't stick, so they have to surround the room with boards. In the middle of winter, when it snows, it dries out so much that they sometimes have to spray a whole bottle of sake onto a board and use the evaporation of the alcohol to regulate the humidity. "It's much easier now because we have air conditioners. In my father's time, we couldn't even use a fan."

  

  The wall behind the main Buddha statue features gold leaf and raised mother-of-pearl inlay.

  A Buddhist altar is not a box for storing memorial tablets.

  Even so, regulating humidity is delicate and difficult. "It's a learning process that lasts until the day you die," says Mr. Niwa. However, sales of Buddhist altars have decreased significantly due to the recent economic downturn. Furthermore, recently, there has been a nationwide trend towards Buddhist altars that do not use gold leaf or maki-e (lacquerware with gold or silver powder). These are called "modern Buddhist altars" or "furniture-style altars," and simple, small ones made of rosewood or ebony are becoming popular, especially in Tokyo. In Nagoya, traditional gold Buddhist altars are still the mainstream, but large and luxurious ones are gradually decreasing. Cheaper imported goods from overseas are also coming in. "Sometimes I think we've reached a turning point because the number of people has decreased." Nevertheless, NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) Association has 30 young craftsmen in total across eight trades. Mr. Niwa's son, who is now 36 years old, is one of them. "Japanese people tend to reconsider their Buddhist altars once they reach a certain age. It might be a form of relying on others, but I don't think Buddhist altars will ever become obsolete." I was told that a Buddhist altar is not just a box for holding memorial tablets, but a "mini-temple" where the ancestors of the household are enshrined, and that the gold color of the altar represents paradise.

  

  Remove the excess gold leaf from the foil-stamped board using a bamboo stick with cotton tied to it.

  Craftsman Profile

  ​Susumu Niwa

  Born in 1930 (Showa 5).
  Born into a family of gold leaf artisans, a lineage that has continued since his grandfather's generation, he began this work at the age of 19.
  Chairman of NAGOYA Butsudan (Household Buddhist Altars) Traditional Craftsmen's Association, which consists of eight different craftsmen.
  His son is also a foil stamping craftsman.

  

  Susumu Niwa. His home and workshop are located just off Monzenmachi Street.

  Anecdotes

  Buddhist altar memorial service

  It is said that Buddhist altars can be used for at least 100 years if they are "cleaned" when they get old. However, when it becomes necessary to dispose of a Buddhist altar for various reasons, the method of disposal can be a problem. The Buddhist Altar Memorial Service is a ceremony to express gratitude to Buddhist altars that have served their purpose for many years, and to perform a memorial service before disposing of them. It has been held annually on March 27th at Osu Kannon since 1984. According to the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), March 27th is the day in 685 AD when Emperor Tenmu issued an edict to all provinces ordering that each household place a Buddhist shrine or altar and perform worship and memorial services. The Buddhist altars, carried from Osu Banshoji Temple through the shopping streets to Osu Kannon, are dismantled and incinerated after a chanting of sutras by the head priest. Every year, 30 to 40 Buddhist altars are memorialized and disposed of here.

  • 

    As those involved watched, the Buddhist altars were burned one after another.

  • 

    Upon arriving at Osu Kannon, a memorial service is held in the main hall.

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    Walking down Banshoji Street in the Osu shopping district, carrying a Buddhist altar. The altar with the red flag hanging on it is the one being offered for memorial services.