Revitalizing Craftsman Employment!? Butsudan Remake 'Yuidan' Develops 'Next-Generation Division of Labor Model' Connecting Traditional Techniques to the Modern Era

Empresia Co., Ltd., which operates the butsudan (Buddhist altar) remake service 'Yuidan,' is promoting a 'next-generation division of labor model' that reconfigures the traditional 'division of labor system' to meet modern market needs, aiming to create employment for craftsmen and ensure the inheritance of traditional techniques, addressing the social issue of declining local industries.

Dramatic Shrinkage of the Butsudan Industry

Traditional butsudan manufacturing in Japan is experiencing a rapid market contraction due to changes in lifestyle and the influx of inexpensive overseas products.

According to the latest statistics, the value of manufactured goods shipped nationwide decreased by approximately 70%, from 111.3 billion yen in 1990 to 35.3 billion yen in 2023. Furthermore, in Shizuoka Prefecture, a major butsudan production area where our factory is located, the shipment value has virtually disappeared by approximately 90%, from 17.4 billion yen in 1990 to 2.2 billion yen in 2023. *

This industrial collapse is not merely a matter of numbers; it is accelerating the 'closure of skilled craftsmen's businesses.'

One butsudan craftsman working in Shizuoka was 'forced to work part-time as a security guard due to lack of work.'

The current situation is that techniques that once supported Japanese tradition are losing their place and disappearing from society.

*Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 'Data on Shizuoka Prefecture's Local Industries (March 2026)'

Solution (Mechanism of the Modern Division of Labor Model)

'Yuidan' is not merely a butsudan manufacturing business. It has revolutionized the traditional way of small-scale butsudan manufacturing, which was previously tied to local areas and only targeted local customers. By acting as a hub, it directly receives orders from customers nationwide and commissions work to external butsudan craftsmen on a project basis, establishing a unique system.

An astonishing number of craftsmen's hands are involved in the creation of a butsudan. By applying the long-standing traditional 'division of labor system' to the new market of butsudan remaking, Japanese traditional techniques have once again been condensed into one.

1. Return to '100% Manual Work' Requiring Skilled Techniques

Remaking old materials requires an eye for discerning damage and limited usable parts, even more so than creating new ones from scratch. In terms of painting, it requires advanced techniques to transform the butsudan into a state that revives the 'excitement of when it was first purchased,' while retaining the original character, rather than simply repainting. This 'unmechanizable process,' impossible with large machinery, is where skilled craftsmen once again become the protagonists.

2. Division of Labor Utilizing Craftsmen's 'Strengths'

Veteran local craftsmen who had once left the industry have been reorganized with our Shizuoka base as a hub. Processes such as woodworking, painting, and processing are subdivided and connected to their respective specialists. This enables elderly craftsmen and individual workshops to utilize their specialized 'skills' to once again earn a living as professionals and pass on their techniques to the next generation.

3. Value Transformation from 'Discarding' to 'Inheriting'

This shifts from a consumption model based on 'replacement' to a circular model of 'remaking and continuing to use' butsudan, which is the identity of the family business. This creates continuous 'work' for craftsmen and provides users with the value of 'inheriting sentiments.'

Future Outlook: Restoring Craftsmen's Pride and Making Shizuoka a 'Craftsman's Town' Again

Through 'Yuidan's' initiatives, skilled craftsmen who were forced to work part-time as security guards due to lack of work are returning to the butsudan making sites they loved. We are also promoting initiatives to directly transmit the knowledge and advanced techniques of veterans to young craftsmen, aiming to connect traditional techniques that were on the verge of disappearing to the next generation.

Our mission is to revive Shizuoka, which once boasted the second-highest national share based on manufactured goods shipped, as a 'butsudan craftsman's town' once again.

Going forward, we will expand the successful Shizuoka model to various regions, creating employment for craftsmen nationwide. We will redefine butsudan from 'something to dispose of' to 'something to remake and inherit,' and reconstruct a new butsudan culture where traditional techniques are properly valued.

【Company Overview】

Trade Name: Empresia Co., Ltd.

Representative: Kosuke Inagaki, Representative Director

Established: December, Reiwa 6 (2024)

Location: RISHE Building UCF4F, 2-2-3 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027

Factory: 1265-2 Umame, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka 421-1222

TEL: 050-5530-3217

Official Website: https://www.yuidan.jp

【Contact for this matter】

TEL: 080-6956-2577

Email: [email protected]

Contact Person: Kosuke Inagaki