Section 3: The work of the wood carver (choukokushi)

In the introduction to this section the local situation is set in a village of wood carvers near to Hikone, Shiga Prefecture. Next, the placement and finishing treatment of carvings on a butsudan are covered along with details of the carvers’ designs and patterns. Tools and choices of materials are dealt with. Measuring, making the patterns, marking the wood, rough and ‘finish’ carving are described in detail. Finally, with the use of pictures, the process is followed from the initial commission of the works to their installation on the butsudan. An attempt has been made to portray the choukokushi’s attitude to the problems arising from the shift towards modern cost-cutting methods, by using direct quotes throughout. The table of contents, at the beginning of this section gives a comprehensive list of topics. Photos and drawings, including some from the artisan himself are included in this section.