抄録
Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan displayed a wooden frame on the upper portion of their buildings known as "hengaku (framed picture)". The workers who produced these frames were skilled wood carving or engraving artisans known variously as "ongakushi", "gakuhorishi"or by other names. As commerce flourished after the beginning of the Edo period in 1603,merchants began to display large signs and it was the ongakushi who produced the signs for them. In this study, I clarify the vigorous activities of these ongakushi as sign-making artisans in pre-modern Japan.
