The 1st process 【Searching for stones】

This is the company-owned mountain inherited from our ancestors. Every day in this mountain, we devote ourselves to search for ash (tuff), the material used in our stone lanterns.

The 2nd process 【Excavating】

It looks like dynamite is used to break rocks. However, we use gunpowder for fireworks instead, to retrieve high-quality ash (tuff), which is very soft. Among these stones, we excavate and select even finer stones to use.

The 3rd process【Transportation】

These selected stones are transferred according to their intended use. Again, we check the quality of these stones in this process, and only ones that pass our inspection are sent to the next process.

The 4th process【Cutting / polishing】

Those stones that have been transported are cut to the dimensions according to the lantern to be made. At the same time, they are polished gradually so that they shine. With great manual work by a skilled craftsman, these stones will have a smooth surface.

The 5th process【Processing 1】

In this process, a skilled craftsman does prep work to make a hole onto the polished stone. He precisely and intricately marks points one by one on the stone, fully utilizing his intuition and.

The 6th process【Processing 2 】

According to the point he has marked, he gradually makes a hole. This is very precise work, which requires per mm technical skill. Scrupulous attention is given so that lanterns will not misalign even one bit when assembled.

The 7th process 【finishing】

‘These processes may be rather simple; yet we hope you see that most of the work is done manually, and we’d be grateful if our thought and care that are put into each piece is conveyed to you.’