About 40 years ago, our association was formed by superb craftsmen in the Buddhist altar development district located in the village of Yamashina. It is safe to say that the majority of altar supplies utilized at major temples and shrines in Japan are produced in this specialized district.

The production of these traditional crafts require skills from many different specialists such as the Kiji-shi (wood), Hori-shi (engraving), Urushinuri-shi (lacquer), Hakuoshi-shi (foil stamping), and the Kazarikanagu-shi (altar ornaments). From start to finish, 12 different companies at this district take part in the development process of these traditional crafts.

These sophisticated techniques have existed for over 1,200 years. The united members of our association are highly committed to preserving and passing down these invaluable techniques to the generations of the future. In order to achieve such a task, we strongly believe that such techniques must not only be utilized for Buddhist altar supplies, but also must be incorporated into products that compliment a modern lifestyle.

Kyoto Densan Butsugu Kogei
Seizo Yabushita
Chief Director