Hiroshima Butsudan are Buddhist altars made mainly in Hiroshima City. The main products are kin-butsudan (gold-leaf Buddhist altars), whose interiors are adorned with gold leaf. In 1978 (Showa 53), following Kumano-fude, they became the second craft in the prefecture to be designated a Traditional Craft by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (a national Traditional Craft). Production is based on a division of labor, with specialized craftspeople each responsible for processes such as the wooden body (kiji), the kuden (miniature palace), carving, metal fittings, lacquering, gold leaf application and maki-e. The certified traditional craftspeople who handle these processes are called the 'Nanasho' (Seven Masters), and their skills come together in a single butsudan. Their techniques of urushi lacquer top-coating and gold leaf application are especially well regarded, and the contrast between the deep black of the lacquer and the brilliance of the gold leaf is a highlight. In central Hiroshima City there is 'Butsudan Street' (仏壇通り), where butsudan shops are concentrated, and long-established shops that handle everything from manufacturing to sales still operate there.
Origin
Hiroshima Butsudan are based on the techniques of decorative metalworkers, hinomono (thin cypress-wood) craftsmen, lacquerers (nushi) and others who moved from Kishu (Wakayama Prefecture) in the early Edo period. When Asano Nagaakira moved from Kishu to Hiroshima in Genna 5 (1619), such craftsmen are said to have been among the artisans who accompanied him. Furthermore, around Kyoho 1 (1716), the monk 敦高 is said to have studied advanced manufacturing techniques in Kyoto and Osaka and brought them back, establishing the techniques.
History
Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land Buddhism) took wide root in Hiroshima and supported butsudan making. In the late Edo period, a district of butsudan wholesalers formed in Horikawa-cho and Kanayama-cho along the old Saigoku Kaido highway. In the Meiji era, butsudan were shipped to Osaka and elsewhere using water transport on the Seto Inland Sea, and by the end of the Taisho period production is said to have become the largest in Japan. Many craftspeople were lost in the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945, but craftspeople who returned after the war and new apprentices revived the production area. In 1974, the Hiroshima Religious Articles Commerce and Industry Cooperative (広島宗教用具商工協同組合) was established, and on February 6, 1978, Hiroshima Butsudan were designated a national Traditional Craft.
Features
Hiroshima Butsudan are mainly altars for the Jodo Shinshu Honganji school (Nishi Honganji), and their form resembles the Osaka type. Cedar, pine and hinoki cypress are used for the wooden body, which is made as a knock-down structure using hozo-gumi (mortise-and-tenon joinery) without nails. A distinctive feature is the use, for the base coat, of gofun made by finely crushing the shells of oysters, a Hiroshima specialty. In addition to the tatenuri top-coating and gold leaf application, the techniques of takamakie (raised maki-e), drawn in relief, and of carving the ranma (transom panels) are also highly regarded.
Techniques
Tatenuri
A lacquering technique in which, after the top coat of urushi lacquer is applied, the surface is left to dry as it is, without sanding or polishing. Applying it so that no brush marks or dust remain requires a high level of skill. Hiroshima Butsudan are well known for this tatenuri, and its deep black luster gives the altars a sense of dignity.
Gold leaf application
A technique in which thin sheets of gold leaf are pressed onto the lacquered parts one by one. It adorns the interior of the butsudan in gold, representing the world of the Pure Land. Hiroshima Butsudan are said to excel in gold leaf application as well as lacquering. The lacquerer (nushi) is responsible up to this process.
Takamakie (raised maki-e)
A maki-e technique in which a mixture of tonoko (whetstone powder) and animal glue (nikawa) is built up to draw patterns in three dimensions. Hiroshima Prefecture cites takamakie as one of the outstanding techniques of Hiroshima Butsudan. It gives the patterns more thickness than flat maki-e.
Materials Used
Production Process
- 1
Kiji (wooden body)
The main body is made from cedar, pine or hinoki as a knock-down structure using hozo-gumi joinery.
- 2
Making the kuden
The kuden (miniature palace) that enshrines the principal image is intricately assembled using masu-gumi (bracket-block joinery).
- 3
Wood carving
Carvings such as those of the ranma are carved.
- 4
Takugata (tables)
Parts such as the tables on which Buddhist ritual implements are placed are made.
- 5
Lacquering
A base coat is made with gofun, and layers of urushi lacquer are applied, finishing with a top coat.
- 6
Decorative metal fittings
Decorative metal fittings are made from copper and copper alloys.
- 7
Maki-e
Patterns are drawn in maki-e on the doors and other parts.
- 8
Gold leaf application
Gold leaf is pressed onto the lacquered parts.
- 9
Assembly
The parts from each department are finished and assembled into a single butsudan.
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Artisans & Workshops
三村松
A manufacturer and retailer of butsudan and Buddhist ritual articles, founded in Keio 1 (1865) on Butsudan Street in Horikawa-cho, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City. At its own factories in Japan, it carries out everything from the base coat to lacquering, gold leaf application, coloring and assembly in-house, and it also has a factory specializing in restoration. It has won many awards at the National Traditional Craft Butsudan and Buddhist Articles Exhibition (全国伝統的工芸品仏壇仏具展).
Official site →高山清
A manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of butsudan and Buddhist ritual articles in Horikawa-cho, which began in Taisho 2 (1913) as a butsudan lacquerer's workshop (nushiya). It has inherited the founder's skills in urushi lacquering and pure gold leaf application, and received the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency Award for its Hiroshima Butsudan. The fourth generation, lacquer artist 高山尚也, has also adopted the roiro polishing technique he learned in Kyoto.
Official site →How to Buy
- 三村松 head office (Butsudan Street)
- The head office store of 三村松 at 2-16 Horikawa-cho, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City. It handles kin-butsudan, karaki butsudan (made of imported hardwoods), modern butsudan suited to contemporary homes, and Buddhist ritual articles. The company announces that it has been No. 1 in Japan in kin-butsudan production for 47 consecutive years (according to a survey by 宗教工芸新聞). It also has stores inside and outside the prefecture.Where to buy →PR
- Custom-made butsudan by 高山清
- 高山清 makes butsudan to order for private homes and also offers compact butsudan for apartments and modern butsudan. A Buddhist ceremony coordinator gives advice on matters such as differences between denominations. It also accepts butsudan restoration and cleaning.Where to buy →PR
- 広島宗教用具商工協同組合
- The Hiroshima Butsudan production-area cooperative, with its secretariat at 2-16 Horikawa-cho, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City (tel. 082-243-5321). Hiroshima City's introduction page gives the retail price of Hiroshima Butsudan as a traditional craft as 3 million to 5 million yen or more.Where to buy →PR
Hands-on Experiences
高山清 工房見学＆コースター箔押し体験
広島県広島市中区堀川町2-17
While listening to lacquer artist 高山尚也, you tour the workshop and apply genuine gold leaf to a lacquered coaster. It is a tour with an English-speaking guide for groups of 10 to 40 people and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. The fee is listed as 22,000 yen as of November 2025. Inquire with 一般社団法人My Japan at least one month before the date.
View details →FAQ
Q. What are the 'Nanasho' of Hiroshima Butsudan?
A. It is a name for the specialized craftspeople who each take charge of a part of the butsudan-making process. Hiroshima City describes Hiroshima Butsudan as bringing together the skills of certified traditional craftspeople involved in seven processes. Hiroshima Prefecture lists processes such as kiji (wooden body), sama (openwork panels), kuden, shumidan (altar platform), kazari kanagu (decorative metal fittings), lacquering, gold leaf application and maki-e.
Q. Where is Hiroshima's 'Butsudan Street'?
A. It is the street running from Kanayama-cho to Horikawa-cho in Naka Ward, Hiroshima City, and it is so called because there are many butsudan shops. It lies along the old Saigoku Kaido highway, and in the late Edo period a district of butsudan wholesalers had formed around here. The surrounding area is a busy entertainment district with many restaurants and other establishments, but long-established butsudan shops still line the street.