Kyoto Household Buddhist Altars and Buddhist Religious Objects Museum

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Exhibits showing at a glance the processes involved in base lacquering, gilding, coloring, lacquering, mounting facets and attaching metal fittings

An insight into the traditions of Kyoto Buddhist altars and accoutrements

Since arriving on these shores in the 6th century, Buddhism and its accoutrements have become integral institutions in the lives of Japanese people - notably, this even led to the development of a Buddhist art district in Kyoto, which dates back to the late Heian period, when the great Buddhist sculptor Jocho and his retinue established themselves in the city, in what was to become the Shichijo-bussho, or Buddhist sculpture workshop at Shichijo, from where the production of Buddhist accoutrements is said to have started.
The oral traditions of those amazing skills and designs passed down to this day have become the principles guiding the craftsmen involved in the arts of Buddhist religious works in Kyoto. And, now, this museum has been opened to show the public the wonders of Kyoto altars and accoutrements along with other exhibits, such as materials used in Buddhist works, which instantly inform of the differences in quality, and information on how bare wood is prepared and lacquered. At the admission counter, a decoration taster lesson can be booked (when reserving tour), to gild a dish and take it home. Closed at present.