Tokushima Karaki Butsudan (Hardwood Buddhist Altars)
Tokushima Karaki Butsudan (Tokushima Hardwood Buddhist Altars)
Tokushima Karaki Butsudan are karaki butsudan (exotic-hardwood Buddhist altars) made in Tokushima Prefecture. Karaki refers to hard, beautiful woods such as ebony (kokutan), rosewood (shitan) and tagayasan (iron-wood), mostly brought in from overseas. Unlike gold-lacquered butsudan (kin-butsudan) decorated with gold leaf and lacquer, they keep ornamentation such as gold leaf to a minimum and are finished to bring out the beauty of the wood grain. Tokushima has been a woodworking center since the days of domain rule. While taking on butsudan production for Osaka and other places, it acquired karaki techniques and became a major production area for karaki butsudan. Today it is said to rank first in Japan in shipment value of karaki butsudan. In 2003 they were certified as a Tokushima Prefecture Traditional Specialty Product, and in 2007 'Tokushima Karaki Butsudan' was registered as a regional collective trademark. Production is divided among specialist craftsmen for the wooden body, carving, coating and assembly. A single butsudan is said to consist of 2,000 to 3,000 parts.
Origin
Woodworking in Tokushima is said to have originated with handiwork by shipwrights of the domain period using leftover wood, and in the Meiji period butsudan known as 'Atakemono' were also made. Accounts of how Tokushima became a karaki butsudan production area differ by source. According to materials from Shizuoka City, in the Showa period woodworking businesses in Tokushima were commissioned to make Osaka-style butsudan (Osaka-dan), and Tokushima became the mainstream of karaki butsudan. Another account attributes the start to production orders received from a Buddhist goods wholesaler in Nagoya in the Taisho period.
History
Karaki butsudan are said to have originated in Osaka, which became a production center for karaki sashimono (joinery cabinetry) in the mid-Edo period, when sashimono craftsmen began making them in the early Meiji period. When ports opened in the Meiji period, large quantities of rosewood and ebony came in, and Tokyo-style (Tokyo-dan) and Osaka-style (Osaka-dan) butsudan became the center of karaki butsudan. Tokushima gained strength by taking on their production, and after the war it is said to have grown significantly, also meeting reconstruction demand from Osaka, where many butsudan had been lost in the war. Around 1980 there were reportedly about 50 butsudan manufacturers in the prefecture. In recent years, increasing imports of overseas products have shrunk the market, and development of furniture-style and compact butsudan is advancing.
Features
In addition to karaki such as ebony, rosewood and tagayasan, prized woods such as Yakusugi (Yakushima cedar), mulberry, zelkova and cherry are also used. Restraining gold-leaf ornamentation and showing the beauty of the wood grain is the hallmark of karaki butsudan. Fine carving is applied to the hard, difficult-to-carve karaki in the kuden (a miniature reproduction of a temple building) and the ranma (transom panels). Because the parts are assembled without nails, a butsudan can also be taken apart, washed and repaired. In some cases paulownia, which resists moisture and insects, is used for the drawers.
Techniques
Neritsuke (veneering) and solid wood
Warping due to changes in temperature and humidity is a challenge for karaki butsudan. For this reason, a technique called 'neritsuke' is used, in which thin sheets of karaki are applied to the surface of a core material. Building even the hidden core from combined pieces of wood is another way of preventing warping. On the other hand, there are also butsudan made of solid (muku) karaki all the way through.
Coating and polishing
Coating is built up in undercoat, middle coat and top coat, with polishing each time to level the surface and bring out a gloss. Depending on the grade of the product, urethane, lacquer or polyester is used. To make the most of the wood grain, an open-pore finish that leaves the texture of the wood visible is sometimes used.
Drying the wood
Because karaki warps easily with changes in temperature and humidity, it is dried for several months to several years after sawing. Mogami Co., Ltd. in Tokushima City uses its own drying machines to even out the moisture content of the boards, preventing distortion after assembly.
Materials Used
Production Process
- 1
Sawing and drying
The wood is sawn to suit each part, and its moisture content is adjusted through natural and artificial drying.
- 2
Wood body work
Parts are cut and shaped according to the drawings. They are made by neritsuke, in which karaki is applied to a core material, and by wood joinery.
- 3
Carving
Decorative parts such as the ranma and shoji are carved by hand by craftsmen.
- 4
Coating
Undercoat, middle coat and top coat are layered, with polishing after each coat to bring out a gloss.
- 5
Assembly and finishing
The coated parts are assembled into the shape of a butsudan, metal fittings are attached, and the whole is finished.
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Artisans & Workshops
株式会社もがみ（仏壇のもがみ）
A karaki butsudan manufacturer at 6-9 Tsudakaigan-cho, Tokushima City. It was founded in 1978 (Showa 53) by about ten people, mainly craftsmen. All 2,000 to 3,000 parts are shaped, assembled and coated by hand. The company also recommends maintenance in which the butsudan is taken apart, washed, repaired and recoated every 40 to 50 years.
Official site →徳島仏壇工房ミヤヂ
A butsudan manufacturer at 2-17 Kitamura Nabei, Kitajima Town, Itano District, founded in 1964 (Showa 39). It specializes in butsudan for Soka Gakkai and uses karaki such as ebony, rosewood and tagayasan. Everything from wood body processing to coating and assembly is done in its own factory. Coated parts are dried for more than a week, and polishing is repeated to achieve a mirror-like surface.
Official site →森正株式会社
A butsudan and Buddhist goods manufacturer headquartered at 3-9 Kitamura-aza Nabei, Kitajima Town, Itano District, handling everything from manufacturing to wholesale and retail. It states that it has continued domestic production for more than 50 years. In 2008, its development of compact ritual implements making use of butsudan techniques was certified under the national Regional Resource Utilization Program.
徳島県唐木仏壇協同組合連合会
A federation of five associations of Tokushima karaki butsudan manufacturers, with its office at 1-5 Terashima Honcho Nishi, Tokushima City. As the holder of the regional collective trademark 'Tokushima Karaki Butsudan,' it creates logo marks and promotional materials to promote the brand. It holds trade fairs every year in Tokyo in April and in Kyoto in November.
Official site →How to Buy
- ぶつだんのもり
- A butsudan and Buddhist goods store headquartered in Eta-cho, Komatsushima City, with shops in Tokushima Prefecture and on Awaji Island. It introduces Tokushima-made karaki butsudan as 'Tokushima Butsudan' and offers showroom tours by video call as well as an online shop.Where to buy →PR
- Look for the Tokushima Prefecture Traditional Specialty Product mark
- Tokushima Karaki Butsudan were certified as a Tokushima Prefecture Traditional Specialty Product in 2003. Products that meet the standards for traditional techniques and raw materials display a certification mark. It serves as a guide when choosing a Tokushima-made butsudan at butsudan stores across Japan.Where to buy →PR
FAQ
Q. What is the difference between a karaki butsudan and a gold-lacquered butsudan?
A. A gold-lacquered butsudan (kin-butsudan) is one whose wooden body is lacquered and whose interior is decorated with gold leaf. A karaki butsudan uses hard woods such as ebony and rosewood, restrains gold-leaf ornamentation and shows the beauty of the wood grain. Osaka Butsudan and Hiroshima Butsudan, which are national Traditional Crafts, are gold-lacquered butsudan.
Q. Can an old karaki butsudan be repaired?
A. Because it is assembled without nails, it can be taken apart and repaired. Mogami, a manufacturer in Tokushima City, recommends maintenance once every 40 to 50 years in which the butsudan is taken apart, washed, its damage repaired and recoated.