Ceremo

What Ceremo does

Ceremo is a Japanese funeral services provider headquartered in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, operating a regionally dense network of 30+ directly-managed funeral halls across Chiba Prefecture (its primary market), Tokyo (Katsushika and Edogawa wards), and Ibaraki Prefecture (Toride City), with affiliated facilities bringing the network to 50+ locations. The company traces its origins to a costume rental business established in 1962, was incorporated as a kabushiki kaisha in 1972, and adopted the Ceremo brand in 2001 after evolving from a mutual aid association model. It performs over 10,000 funerals annually, including 100+ corporate funerals, and serves individual families, corporations, and pre-planning customers across Buddhist, Shinto, Christian, and secular ceremony formats.

Ceremo's service offering is end-to-end along the death-care value chain: pre-need consultation and advance planning; mortuary transportation via an in-house green-license hearse fleet (Heart Kanko, est. 2003); 24-hour mortuary reception and cosmetic preparation including the proprietary Heart Care Make floral bath ritual (Heart Care Make division, est. 2004); ceremony execution across three standardized plan tiers (Plan 15 cremation-only at ¥165K tax-inclusive, Plan 36 white-wood altar at ¥396K, Plan 60 premium flower altar at ¥660K); ancillary revenue from catering, costume rental, memorial flowers, and condolence gifts; and post-funeral support through its Total After Plan (TAP) covering estate clearing, inheritance procedures, Buddhist memorial services, and grave/urn selection. Vertical integration is delivered via wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning transportation, mortuary cosmetology, facility maintenance, estate liquidation, and a banquet facility (Heart Hall Kashiwa迎賓館, 2015).

The business model combines transactional one-time ceremony revenue with a subscription-style prepaid mutual aid program (互助会, operating under a 1974 Prepaid Specific Transaction Business permit) that secures customer relationships prior to death events. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical halls, a 24/7 phone hotline (0120-02-4444), online inquiry/estimate requests, and home/hospital consultations. Pricing is publicly disclosed across plan tiers and ancillary services with no hidden fees. Representative Director Hayashi Yuki (林勇樹) leads the privately held company, which discloses ¥33,151M in total assets and ¥15,336M in equity as of FY2025.

Name

Ceremo

Legal name

株式会社セレモ

Website

https://ceremo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ceremo is a privately held Japanese funeral services company operating 30+ company-owned halls across Chiba, Tokyo, and Ibaraki, providing end-to-end ceremony, mortuary, catering, and post-funeral services to over 10,000 families annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210)

akta.pro primary industry

End-of-Life Planning & Hospice/Palliative Care Coordination (HLADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE)

Keywords

• Funeral services
• Burial ceremonies
• Cremation services
• Memorial planning
• End-of-life services

Headquarters

HQ city

Furabeshi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Funeral ceremony services: Core revenue from conducting funeral ceremonies across various formats including family funerals (家族葬), standard funerals (一般葬), cremation-only services (火葬式/プラン15), one-day funerals (一日葬), corporate funerals (社葬), and private memorial services. Revenue is generated through standardized plan packages (Plan 15, 36, 60) plus optional add-ons.
2. Funeral hall rental and management: Revenue from operating company-owned funeral halls (セレモホール and ハートホール) across Chiba, Tokyo, and Ibaraki. Halls are available for both funeral ceremonies and Buddhist memorial services (法事).
3. Catering and hospitality services: Food and beverage services for funeral wake (通夜) and memorial meals (精進落とし), including plated dishes, bento boxes, and multi-course catering prepared by dedicated chefs.
4. Mortuary supplies and memorial items: Sales of memorial flowers (供花), offerings (供物), Buddhist altars, urns, memorial tablets (位牌), Buddhist altars (仏壇), and mortuary cosmetics.
5. Costume rental services: Rental of formal attire including mourning clothes for men (モーニング, 黒ダブル) and women (喪服, 黒ワンピース), as well as rental kimono for various ceremonies including coming-of-age, graduation, and weddings.
6. Post-funeral support services: Total After Plan ( Tocantins アフタープラン) services including memorial gift returns (香典返し), estate settlement, inheritance procedures, Buddhist memorial planning, grave/urn selection, and urn storage services.
7. Mutual aid/pre-payment funeral plans: Prepaid mutual aid program (互助会) allowing members to prepay for funeral services over time, providing financial planning and guaranteed service availability. Licensed as pre-paid specific transaction business (前払式特定取引業).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ceremo is a comprehensive funeral services provider operating 30+ directly-managed funeral halls across Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo (Katsushika and Edogawa wards), and Ibaraki (Toride City). The company conducts over 10,000 funeral ceremonies annually through three standardized plan tiers (Plan 15 cremation-only, Plan 36 white wood altar, Plan 60 premium flower altar) plus customized add-ons including mortuary preparation (Floral Bath Ceremony), catering, costume rental, funeral flowers, and post-funeral Total After Plan services covering estate clearing, inheritance procedures, and Buddhist memorial services. It also operates a licensed mutual aid pre-payment program (互助会) and handles 100+ corporate funerals annually.

Product overview

Ceremo is a comprehensive funeral service provider headquartered in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The company operates on a platform model offering multiple funeral service tiers through its network of 30+ company-owned funeral halls across Chiba, Tokyo, and Ibaraki prefectures. The core product portfolio centers on three main funeral plans: Plan 15 (cremation-only, ¥150,000), Plan 36 (white wood altar ceremony, ¥360,000), and Plan 60 (flower altar premium ceremony, ¥600,000), all of which can be customized with optional add-on services. These plans are complemented by specialized services including floral bath ceremonies (花湯灌), costume rental, catering, return gifts, condolence money proxy services, pre-need consultations, memorial services, estate clearing, and inheritance procedure support. The company also provides corporate funeral services (社葬) for organizations and operates family funeral-dedicated Heart Hall venues. All services are delivered by Ministry-certified funeral directors with 24/7 emergency response capability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plan 15 (プラン15) Cremation-Only Funeral Cremation-only funeral plan without wake or ceremony, including necessary items such as urn and coffin. Targeted at families seeking the simplest possible farewell.
• Plan 36 (プラン36) Standard Funeral Standard funeral plan using a white wood altar that includes wake and funeral ceremony. Includes coffin, urn, and all necessary funeral items, suitable for family funerals.
• Plan 60 (プラン60) Premium Flower Altar Funeral Premium funeral plan using a flower altar, including high-quality coffin, high-grade azure urn, and memorial corner setup. The most elaborate standard ceremony option.
• One-Day Wake Funeral (通夜一日葬) Funeral format combining wake and funeral into a single day, omitting the overnight wake. Suitable for families with scheduling constraints or preferences for condensed ceremonies.
• Floral Bath Ceremony (美粧式花湯灌) Ceremonial bathing ritual using water with floating flower petals based on Buddhist tradition, including hair washing, shaving, full body washing, dressing, and makeup application for the deceased.
• Funeral Director Service (葬祭ディレクター) Professional guidance and ceremony execution by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare certified funeral directors (Grade 1 and 2), available 24/7 across all operational areas.
• Corporate Funeral Service (社葬) Large-scale corporate funeral service for deceased executives, founders, or senior employees, including full ceremony planning, organization, sequence execution, and post-funeral support.
• Family Funeral Service (家族葬) Intimate funeral service attended only by close family and relatives, held at dedicated family funeral halls such as Heart Hall venues.
• Costume Rental Center (貸衣裳センター) Rental service for formal attire including mourning clothes, formal wear for adults, graduation ceremony wear, shichi-go-san costumes, and wedding attire.
• Return Gifts (返礼品) Gifts presented to funeral attendees in gratitude, using the WANOSEN Gift Catalog system with various food and craft items across multiple price tiers.
• Funeral Flowers and Offerings (供花・供物) Flower arrangements and offerings for funeral altars, including seasonal flowers, standing sprays, and table arrangements. Orderable online or via FAX by noon of the wake day.
• Catering and Hospitality Service (料理・会食) Catering for funeral wake and memorial meals, including large platter sets, individual meals, and formal ceremonial meals prepared by dedicated chefs.
• Hearse Service (寝台車サービス) Green-numbered company hearses for transporting the deceased from hospitals or homes, with transportation fee included in funeral plan packages. Available 24/7.
• Mortuary Facility (霊安室) 24-hour mortuary facilities for proper preservation of remains until funeral, with continuous reception 7 days a week for family viewing.
• Condolence Money Proxy Service (香典代行サービス) Service that delivers condolence money on behalf of those unable to attend a funeral. Available for ceremonies held at Ceremo halls.
• Pre-need and End-of-Life Consultation (生前相談・終活相談) Consultation services for advance funeral planning and end-of-life preparations, including pre-need consultation and Total After Plan advisory services.
• Buddhist Memorial Service Support (法要サービス) Support for Buddhist memorial ceremonies including 49th day memorial, first anniversary, and other memorial services, held at Ceremo halls.
• Estate Clearing and Memorial (遺品整理・遺品供養) Professional cleaning and memorial services for belongings of the deceased, including Buddhist memorial rites at designated temples.
• Inheritance Procedure Support (相続手続きサポート) Support for inheritance procedures including preparation of estate division documents, property transfers, and banking procedures.
• Ceremo Halls (セレモホール) Venue Network Network of 30+ company-owned funeral halls across Chiba, Tokyo (Edogawa/Katsushika), and Ibaraki (Toride), each featuring ceremony halls, family rooms, mortuary, and parking near major train stations.
• Heart Hall (ハートホール) Family Funeral Venues Family funeral-dedicated halls under the Heart Hall sub-brand, designed for intimate ceremonies with family-friendly facilities.
• Mutual Aid Pre-payment Funeral Plan (互助会) Licensed prepaid mutual aid program allowing members to prepay funeral services over time, providing financial planning and guaranteed future service availability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 funerals performed annually
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 全日本冠婚葬祭互助協会 (Zenpan/All Japan Mutual Aid Association for Weddings and Funerals)coreOthersCeremo is a member company of this industry association. The association coordinates mutual aid funeral plans across member companies and facilitates disaster response support agreements with local governments. Ceremo participates in emergency disaster preparedness programs through this association, maintaining coffins and body bags for rapid deployment during disasters.
• 全日本冠婚葬祭互助支援協会 (Zenpan Support Association)minorOthersCeremo uses the association's external platform 'きよらか' (Kiyoraka) for condolence letters (弔文) and memorial item ordering, providing online payment processing through this partner's system.
• Local government municipalities (Chiba, Tokyo, Ibaraki)coreOthersCeremo holds agreements with various municipalities for disaster response cooperation. The company provides emergency body preservation supplies and transportation support in disaster-affected areas. Specific partnerships include agreements facilitated through the Zenpan association for emergency response.
• 東妍盲導犬協会 (East Japan Guide Dog Association) and 日本聴導犬協会 (Japan Hearing Dog Association)minorOthersCeremo supports these organizations by placing donation collection boxes (募金箱) and guide dog donation vending machines at its funeral halls and related facilities, contributing to the training and support of assistance dogs.
• Banks (Mitsui Sumitomo Banking Corporation)minorOthersCeremo uses Mitsui Sumitomo Bank (三井住友銀行) Chiba Branch as the designated account for memorial gift service (香典代行サービス) payments, receiving transfer payments from customers using this service.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Belco (株式会社ベルコ): One of Japan's largest funeral and ceremonial services groups with national presence across funeral halls, wedding, and ceremonial services. Comparable end-to-end funeral offerings but at materially larger scale and broader geographic reach than Ceremo.

Direct peers

• Famille (家族葬のファミーユ): Listed Japanese funeral chain specializing in family-format funerals with company-owned halls. Closely comparable to Ceremo's family-funeral (家族葬) focus and Heart Hall sub-brand positioning.
• San Holdings (燦ホールディングス): Listed Japanese funeral services group operating multiple regional funeral brands with owned hall networks. Comparable multi-prefecture owned-hall strategy to Ceremo with similar end-to-end funeral and post-funeral offerings.
• Tear Corporation (株式会社ティア): Publicly listed Japanese funeral chain operating company-owned funeral halls with tiered pricing plans and standardized services. Highly comparable to Ceremo's owned-hall network strategy and standardized plan offerings.
• Nichiryoku (株式会社ニチリョク): Japanese funeral services company with a strong focus on prepaid funeral plans (生前予約) and family funerals. Comparable to Ceremo's mutual aid pre-payment program and standardized family funeral plan tiers.
• Alpha Club (アルファクラブ株式会社): Japanese funeral services company operating owned halls and prepaid mutual aid programs across multiple regions. Comparable business model to Ceremo with similar mutual aid, owned-hall, and full-service funeral offerings.

Regional players

• Koekisha (株式会社公益社): Long-established Japanese funeral services company operating company-owned halls primarily in the Kansai region. Comparable owned-hall funeral services model but geographically concentrated in western Japan rather than Kanto.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ceremo