Kyo Butsugu

1,500 kinds, each one hand-made

Kyo Butsugu are the ritual articles of Buddhism: wooden and metal articles, carved wooden Buddha images and painted Buddhist scrolls, made for both temples and homes. There are 1,500 to 1,600 kinds, each made by hand as a one-off, and each Buddhist school has its own designs. Kyoto makes about 80% of Japan's Buddhist articles. They are made in Kyoto, Uji, Kameoka, Joyo, Muko, Nagaokakyo, Kizugawa and Nantan in Kyoto, alongside Kyo Butsudan.

Many specialists

• Wooden bodies are made of pine, hinoki, cedar or zelkova; carved Buddha images of pine, hinoki, kaya or sandalwood.
• Specialists handle wood carving, lacquer, maki-e and colouring, gold leaf, fittings, metalwork and Buddha carving.
• Metal articles are cast or hammered from copper alloy.
• Each field is divided further, so every part is shaped by an expert.

From Saicho and Kukai

Buddhist articles in Kyoto are thought to have begun around the 8th century, in the age of Saicho and Kukai, who shaped Heian Buddhism. In the early 11th century a Buddhist sculptor set up a workshop at Shichijo in Kyoto and gathered makers of Buddhist articles, the true start of the craft.