San Holdings, Inc.
Japan's leading funeral-service holding company, operating the Kosaisha and other funeral brands with about 33,000 funerals a year and 267 company-run halls.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
San Holdings, Inc. (燦ホールディングス株式会社) is a Japanese holding company whose group is one of the country's largest providers of funeral and life-ending services. Its roots go back to 1932, when Ryusuke Murakami founded Kosaisha (株式会社公益社) in the Awaji-machi district of Osaka, at a time when funerals were not yet established as a modern business. From its base in the Kitahama financial district, Kosaisha advertised actively and offered inexpensive, sincere funerals, building a name for itself and beginning to handle large corporate funerals from around 1934. In 2004 the operating company converted to a holding-company structure and changed its name to San Holdings, while the funeral business was split off into a new Kosaisha that inherited the 1932 heritage. Today the group describes itself as a "life-ending partner" that supports seniors and their families. Its core business is funerals, but it also provides pre-need consultations, post-funeral procedures, inheritance advice, housing-related services and other life-ending support. According to the company, the group conducts roughly 33,000 funerals a year and operates 267 company-run funeral halls (as of the end of March 2025). It employs a large corps of certified funeral directors — 507 holders of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's funeral-director certification as of March 2025 — and 31 IFSA-certified embalmers as of June 2025. The group is also known for corporate funerals and farewell ceremonies, having handled funerals for major companies, organizations, schools, baseball teams and well-known public figures since its founding. The group operates through a family of regional funeral brands. Kosaisha serves the Tokyo metropolitan and Kansai areas and conducts more than 10,000 funerals a year. Sosen, founded in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture in 1980, operates 14 halls in the San'in region. Tarui, founded in Akashi in 1950, operates 15 halls in and around Akashi. Other brands include Family Funeral Famiyu, Hanakoma, Bizenya, Tamano-ya, the Kita-Kanto Mutual Aid Center, Kigetsudo Celeo, and related company Grand Cérémonie Tokyo. The group also runs the "Hidamari no Kai" bereavement support program, launched in 2003 as Japan's first full-scale funeral-company grief-care program, with more than 1,000 members. San Holdings is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (ticker 9628). It has set a 10-year vision aimed at its 100th anniversary in 2032, positioning itself as a life-ending partner that provides services giving the greatest satisfaction and emotion to customers in Japan, and a medium-term management plan for 2025–2027. The company publishes earnings materials and IR information and holds briefings for institutional investors.
History
The history of San Holdings begins with Kosaisha, founded in 1932 by Ryusuke Murakami at his home in Awaji-machi, Osaka (now Chuo Ward). Two months later the company moved to Kitahama, in the heart of Osaka's financial district. At a time when funerals were not yet a well-established business and the idea of marketing funeral services was novel, Kosaisha advertised actively and offered inexpensive, sincere funerals, raising its profile. From around 1934 it began receiving requests for large corporate funerals, and around 1935 — a period of natural disasters and major accidents — and during the war years, it took on body recovery and funeral services. From its early days it created funeral catalogs and published funeral prices. In 1941, as wartime controls tightened, Kosaisha merged with Hakuzensha, Tenreisha, Kita-Kosaisha and Minami-Kosaisha, and in 1943 it established Kogyosha as a state-integrated company, operating 12 offices across Osaka Prefecture. In 1945, after the war, it reverted to the Kosaisha name because of its strong recognition. Through the 1940s and 1950s it opened branches and offices across Osaka and the surrounding area, and from around 1950 corporate funeral requests increased, with the company growing along with Japan's economic expansion. In 1953 it established Kansai Automobile Sales (later Kansai Automobile), and in 1956 it founded Hayashi Kogei (later Defi), which handled decoration and goods rental. In the 1960s the company expanded by spinning off its funeral contracting, hearse transport, trucking and warehousing divisions into separate corporations. In 1963 the funeral contracting division was established as a separate Kosaisha, and in 1964 the transport and warehouse divisions were separated into Moriguchi Warehouse. In the 1970s, as lifestyles changed and funerals moved from homes to funeral halls, Kosaisha opened the Senri Kaikan in 1971, a large ceremonial hall modeled on a Hakuho-period temple and regarded as a pioneer of modern funeral centers in Japan. It opened more halls through the 1970s and 1980s, including Hirakata Kaikan (1979), Higashi-Osaka Kaikan (1985), Sakai Kaikan (1986), Suita Kaikan and Nishinomiya Yamate Kaikan (1987), and Ogimachi Koyu Kaikan (1989). In 2004 the operating company converted to a holding-company structure and changed its name to San Holdings, Inc., while the funeral business was split off into a new Kosaisha that inherited the Kosaisha name and its 1932 heritage. The group then expanded through acquisitions and new regional brands. Sosen, founded in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture in 1980 as the first funeral-dedicated hall in the Chugoku region, joined the group in 2005 and now operates 14 halls in Tottori and Shimane. Tarui, founded in Akashi in 1950, joined in 2006 and operates 15 halls in and around Akashi. Other group brands include Family Funeral Famiyu, Hanakoma, Bizenya, Tamano-ya, the Kita-Kanto Mutual Aid Center, Kigetsudo Celeo, and related company Grand Cérémonie Tokyo. In 2003 Kosaisha launched the Hidamari no Kai bereavement support program, described as Japan's first full-scale funeral-company grief-care program, with more than 1,000 members. Today San Holdings is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (ticker 9628). It reports roughly 33,000 funerals a year and 267 company-run halls as of the end of March 2025, with 507 certified funeral directors as of March 2025 and 31 IFSA-certified embalmers as of June 2025. The group has set a 10-year vision toward its 100th anniversary in 2032 and a medium-term management plan for 2025–2027, positioning itself as a life-ending partner for seniors and their families.
- 2025
Group reports about 33,000 funerals a year and 267 company-run halls as of the end of March 2025.
- 2006
Tarui joins the group.
- 2005
Sosen joins the group.
- 2004
The operating company converts to a holding-company structure and changes its name to San Holdings; the funeral business is split into a new Kosaisha.
- 2003
Kosaisha launches the Hidamari no Kai bereavement support program.
- 1989
Opens Ogimachi Koyu Kaikan.
- 1987
Opens Suita Kaikan and Nishinomiya Yamate Kaikan.
- 1986
Opens Sakai Kaikan.
- 1985
Opens Higashi-Osaka Kaikan.
- 1980
Sosen is founded in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, as the first funeral-dedicated hall in the Chugoku region.
Products and positioning
Life-ending partner supporting seniors and their families, aiming to provide Japan's most satisfying and moving services.
Funeral services
General funerals, family funerals and large-scale funerals.
Corporate funerals and farewell ceremonies
Funerals for companies, organizations, schools, baseball teams and public figures.
Embalming services
IFSA-certified embalming with disinfection, preservation, restoration and cosmetics.
Hidamari no Kai grief care
Bereavement support program launched in 2003 with over 1,000 members.
Life-ending support portal
Portal site for senior life-ending services.
Sources4 sources
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