Traditional craft
Mikawa Butsudan
三河仏壇
Gold household Buddhist altars from Okazaki and the Mikawa area of Aichi, built low for daily prayer by eight specialist crafts.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 15 December 1976
- Type
- Buddhist altars
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 三河仏壇
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 岡崎市、豊橋市、半田市、安城市、西尾市、知立市、刈谷市、蒲郡市、碧南市、豊田市他
Low for daily prayer
Mikawa altars are built with a low base so daily worship is easy. A wave-shaped uneri-nageshi lintel lets the ornate kuden inner shrine be seen clearly, and the finish is lavish: lacquer, carving, fittings, maki-e and gold leaf. Fine carving is one of its hallmarks. It is made in Okazaki, Toyohashi, Handa, Anjo, Nishio, Kariya, Toyota and other cities in Aichi.
One person, one craft
- Eight specialists each make one part: the wooden body, the inner shrine and the carving.
- Then come lacquer, maki-e and gold leaf.
- Metal fittings are made.
- Finally the parts are assembled into one altar.
Timber by river
Mikawa altars began in the mid-Edo period, when altar makers used fine pine, cedar and hinoki floated down the Yahagi River, and urushi lacquer from the foot of Mt Sanage in northern Mikawa. Makers spread from Okazaki across Mikawa, forming today's production area. Young makers also use the same skills to build mikoshi portable shrines.
Good to know
- Compare the base height with a Nagoya altar: Mikawa's is low, Nagoya's high.
- Look for the carved details; carving is a Mikawa hallmark.
Questions travellers ask
Why are Mikawa altars low?
A low base makes daily worship easier.
What is an uneri-nageshi?
A wave-shaped lintel that lets the inner shrine be seen clearly.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.