Gendai Butsudan

Gendai Butsudan (株式会社現代仏壇, Gendaibutsudan Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese manufacturer and retailer of modern, furniture-style Buddhist altars (butsudan) and related altar goods. Its brand identity rests on a simple but disruptive idea: that a household Buddhist altar need not be a dark, traditional, tatami-room object, but can be a refined piece of contemporary furniture that fits naturally into a modern living room. The company markets this concept under the slogan-like idea of "a living room with a butsudan" and sells through its own online shop, direct-run showrooms, and a nationwide partner network. The modern-altar business traces its origins to 1984, when Yagiken (八木研), a company that had entered the Buddhist altar and altar-goods industry in 1976, introduced the "Jiyū Butsudan" (自由仏壇, "free altar"), an altar designed to be arranged and used in a contemporary way. This is described by the company as the industry's first modern butsudan, and it opened a new chapter in how memorial and ancestor veneration could be practiced at home. Over the following decades the business built the "Gendai Butsudan" brand around furniture-like altars, modern memorial tablets (ihai), and coordinated altar accessories, eventually offering roughly 200 types of modern altars and explicitly not handling conventional traditional altars. In 2024 the business was reorganized. On August 5, 2024, Yagiken and Hasegawa agreed that Yagiken's butsudan and altar-goods retail and wholesale operations would be transferred by company split (会社分割) to a newly established company, Gendai Butsudan Co., Ltd., effective October 1, 2024, and that all shares of the new company would simultaneously be transferred to Hasegawa. The new company was incorporated on August 8, 2024, with capital of 1 million yen, headquartered in Higashinari-ku, Osaka, and led by president Hideyuki Ii. Hasegawa also acquired Yagiken's former head-office real estate in Osaka and former Tokyo branch property. Through this acquisition Hasegawa extended its reach into regions where it had not previously operated and strengthened the group's overall brand power. Today Gendai Butsudan operates as a wholly owned subsidiary within the Hasegawa Group. Its product range includes floor-standing altars with storage bases, compact altars designed to sit on furniture, wall-mounted altars, mini altars, modern ihai (memorial tablets), photo frames, urn and keepsake vessels, incense and candles, prayer beads, pet memorial products, and kamidana (Shinto household shrine) items. The company emphasizes domestic production — more than 90% of its products are made in Japan — working with roughly 20 partner workshops in furniture-making regions such as Asahikawa, Hida, Shizuoka, Fuchu, and Tokushima. It sells through its official online shop, direct-run stores in cities including Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka, and more than 100 "Gallery Memoria" shop-in-shop locations nationwide. The brand is a member of the Butsudan Fair Trade Council and positions itself at the intersection of tradition, craftsmanship, and contemporary interior design.

The modern-altar business that became Gendai Butsudan began with Yagiken (八木研), which entered the Buddhist altar and altar-goods industry in 1976. In 1984 Yagiken introduced the "Jiyū Butsudan" (自由仏壇, "free altar"), an altar designed to be arranged and used in a contemporary way. The company describes this as the industry's first modern butsudan, and it is credited with modernizing the image of the butsudan, which had until then been seen as old-fashioned. The product line was later branded "Gendai Butsudan" (現代仏壇, literally "modern butsudan"), and the company became a pioneer of the furniture-style butsudan (家具調仏壇). It offered roughly 200 types of modern altars and did not handle conventional traditional altars. The brand was developed around the concept of "a living room with a butsudan" (仏壇のあるリビング。), and the company operated dedicated modern-altar showrooms called "Gallery Memoria" (ギャラリーメモリア) in Tokyo, Osaka, and other locations, as well as selling through partner retailers. In addition to household altars, the business was known as a maker of temple supplies such as the "Albon" and PC hand-buckets, temple L-chairs, and temple stools. In 2024 the business underwent a major corporate reorganization. On August 5, 2024, Yagiken and Hasegawa Co., Ltd. (お仏壇のはせがわ) concluded an agreement under which Yagiken's butsudan and altar-goods retail and wholesale operations would be transferred by company split (会社分割) to a newly established company, Gendai Butsudan Co., Ltd., effective October 1, 2024, and all shares of the new company would simultaneously be transferred to Hasegawa on the same date. Gendai Butsudan Co., Ltd. was incorporated on August 8, 2024, with capital of 1 million yen, headquartered at 2-7-37 Higashi-Imazato, Higashinari-ku, Osaka, and with Hideyuki Ii as representative director and president. The company reported 102 employees and listed MUFG Bank (Fukuoka Branch) as its main bank. Its business scope is the planning, development, and sale (retail and wholesale) of butsudan and altar goods, and its group company is Hasegawa Co., Ltd. As planned, the retail and wholesale business was transferred to Gendai Butsudan on October 1, 2024, and the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hasegawa. At the same time, Hasegawa acquired the real estate of Yagiken's former head office in Osaka and its former Tokyo branch in Ota Ward, Tokyo. Through the full acquisition of Gendai Butsudan, Hasegawa expanded into regions where it had not previously operated and sought to strengthen the overall brand power of the group. After joining the Hasegawa Group, Gendai Butsudan continued to operate its official online shop and its network of direct-run stores and Gallery Memoria locations. The company emphasizes domestic production, stating that more than 90% of its products are made in Japan, and works with roughly 20 partner workshops across furniture-making regions including Asahikawa, Hida, Shizuoka, Fuchu, and Tokushima. It describes butsudan as requiring about three times as many parts as comparable furniture because the interior where the main image and altar implements are enshrined must also be beautifully finished. The brand continues to develop new models, such as the Helios, Tsukigase remade, Habanera/Minuet, and Silva altars, and to promote the idea of a prayer space that fits naturally into contemporary homes.

• Yagiken enters the Buddhist altar and altar-goods industry.

• Yagiken introduces the "Jiyū Butsudan" (free altar), described as the industry's first modern butsudan, later branded Gendai Butsudan.

• Yagiken and Hasegawa agree to transfer Yagiken's butsudan retail/wholesale business to a new company, Gendai Butsudan Co., Ltd., and to transfer all its shares to Hasegawa.

• Gendai Butsudan Co., Ltd. is incorporated with capital of 1 million yen.

• Company split transfers Yagiken's butsudan retail/wholesale business to Gendai Butsudan; Gendai Butsudan becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Hasegawa.

Pioneer of the modern, furniture-style Buddhist altar in Japan; positions altars as refined interior pieces for contemporary living spaces, emphasizing domestic craftsmanship, selected solid woods, and harmony with modern homes.

• Helios (ヘリオス)

  Modern floor-standing altar made of solid walnut with a radial light-inspired door design; available in 1400 and 450 sizes, made in Japan.

• Tsukigase remade (月ヶ瀬 remade)

  Reinterpretation of the long-selling Tsukigase altar, rebuilt for contemporary living and crafted in an Asahikawa furniture workshop using elm wood.

• Habanera / Minuet (ハバネラ／メヌエット)

  Compact versions of long-selling classic models, using solid wood doors and detailed finishing; available in 1100 size.

• Silva (シルヴァ)

  Sustainable altar made from Hokkaido sakura wood, crafted by Asahikawa artisans, with grid or random lattice doors.

• Modern ihai (memorial tablets)

  Contemporary memorial tablets in a range of designs, colors, and sizes, including crystal and transparent styles.

• Pet memorial products

  Pet butsudan, urns, ihai, photo stands, incense holders, and name engraving for collars.

1. 1現代仏壇 公式オンラインショップec-gendaibutsudan.com
2. 2会社概要 | 現代仏壇 公式オンラインショップec-gendaibutsudan.com
3. 3現代仏壇 新商品2026 | 現代仏壇 公式オンラインショップec-gendaibutsudan.com
4. 4株式会社現代仏壇について | 現代仏壇 公式オンラインショップec-gendaibutsudan.com
5. 5Gendai Butsudan - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6現代仏壇 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org