What Kamakura Shinsho does

Kamakura Shinsho (鎌倉新書, TYO: 6184) is a Japan-based information services company operating in the end-of-life planning ('shukatsu') sector. Founded in 1984 as a Buddhist book publisher, the company pivoted around 2000 toward internet-based media services and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2015. It serves Japan's super-aging population and their families through a portfolio of vertical portal sites (e-Ohaka for cemeteries, e-Sogi for funerals, i-Sozoku for inheritance, e-Kaigo for elderly care, e-Butsudan for Buddhist altars), supplemented by the monthly magazine 'Gekkan Shukatsu' and six operating subsidiaries covering ocean burial (House Boat Club), nursing care (Age Plus), insurance (Bell Insurance), real estate (KS Real Estate Partners), and life planning support (Kamakura Shinsho Life Partners).

The core platform is a cross-vertical customer database that integrates user data across all service lines, enabling matching and referrals between consumers and service providers including funeral companies, cemetery operators, tax accountants, administrative scriveners, and care facilities. Technology infrastructure includes AI-driven service matching built on approximately 200,000 annual service introductions and 65 million+ annual website accesses, plus an 'Okuyami Corner' municipal partnership platform operational across 47 prefectures and 450 municipalities. The company emphasizes an asset-light model, intentionally minimizing tangible assets in favor of intangible assets such as data, brand, and human capital.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: transaction/commission fees from service introductions, a magazine subscription (16,500 yen annually), managed-services contracts with municipal governments for 'Okuyami Corner' operations, B2B professional services including the recently announced '1 yen SO Trust' stock compensation product, and subsidiary operating revenue. FY2025 January results showed record revenue of 7,061 million yen (+20.5% YoY), record operating profit of 910 million yen (+11.6%), and EBITDA of 1,144 million yen (+20.1%), supported by 319-379 employees. The company's medium-term plan targets 12.7 billion yen in revenue and 2.6 billion yen in operating profit by FY2028 January.

Name

Kamakura Shinsho

Legal name

株式会社鎌倉新書

Website

https://kamakura-net.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kamakura Shinsho is a Japan-based information services company operating an end-of-life planning ('shukatsu') platform serving seniors and their families through vertical portal sites, a monthly magazine, and 450 municipal government partnerships, monetizing via service introduction commissions, subscriptions, and government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Introduction/Commission Revenue: Revenue from introducing customers to funeral companies, cemetery operators, inheritance professionals (tax accountants, administrative scriveners), care facilities, and other end-of-life service providers. Platform acts as matching intermediary.
2. Magazine Publication (Gekkan Shukatsu): Monthly publication 'Gekkan Shukatsu' (Monthly End-of-Life Planning) generating subscription revenue. Annual subscription priced at 16,500 yen (tax included).
3. Municipal Government Services: Revenue from government contracts for operating 'Okuyami Corner' reception desks and producing publicity materials for local governments. Growing business segment with social significance.
4. Corporate Services: B2B services including corporate end-of-life planning consultation and employee stock compensation system administration (1 yen SO Trust partnership with Kotaeru Trust).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kamakura Shinsho operates an end-of-life planning (shukatsu) information and matching services platform through a network of vertical web portal sites and affiliated services. The company matches consumers seeking funeral, cemetery, inheritance, and elderly care services with third-party providers, earning commission-based revenue on introductions. It also operates a monthly publication, municipal government 'Okuyami Corner' reception desks across 47 prefectures and 450 municipalities, and B2B corporate end-of-life planning services. The business targets Japan's super-aging society as a one-stop shukatsu infrastructure platform.

Product overview

Kamakura Shinsho operates as an end-of-life planning (終活) information and services company, providing a comprehensive ecosystem of web-based portal sites and services. The portfolio centers on 「いいお墓」「いい仏教」「いい決済」「いい相続」and「月刊終活」as core brands, supplemented by specialized portals (おくやみ手続きナビ, 樹木葬なび, 納骨堂なび) and support services (Age Plus for elderly care, House Boat Club for sea burial). The company also operates public-private partnership services (官民協働事業) including municipal おくやみコーナー counter operations. This multi-site approach enables cross-use synergies where users can be directed to appropriate services based on their life events. The vision is to build「終活インフラ」(end-of-life planning infrastructure) as social infrastructure for Japan's aging society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• いいお墓 (e-Ohaka): Portal site for grave and cemetery searching.
• いい介護 (e-Kaigo)
• いい相続 (i-Sozoku)
• いい終活 (e-Seizen)
• 月刊終活 (Gekkan Shukatsu)
• いい葬儀 (e-Sogi)
• いい仏壇 (e-Butsudan)
• シニアと家族の相談室
• 全国自治体おくやみ手続きナビ

Products and services

• いいお墓 (e-Ohaka) Portal site providing cemetery and grave-related services, helping users find and select cemeteries and graves across Japan. It is part of the company's core shukatsu (end-of-life planning) portal ecosystem.
• いい仏壇 (e-Butsudan) E-commerce platform for Buddhist altars (butsudan) and related Buddhist fittings, allowing customers to research and purchase Buddhist ceremonial items online.
• いい葬儀 (e-Sogi) Funeral services portal providing information and matching services for funeral arrangements across Japan, connecting users with funeral service providers.
• いい相続 (i-Sozoku)
• 月刊終活 (Gekkan Shukatsu) Monthly publication and web portal focused on end-of-life planning (shukatsu) topics, providing industry information, best practices, and market trends to both general consumers and end-of-life industry professionals. Annual subscription priced at 16,500 yen (tax included).
• おくやみ手続きナビ (Okuyami Navi) Portal site for local government 'okuyami' (after-death) procedures, supporting municipalities and residents across Japan with post-death administrative procedures.
• 樹木葬なび (e-Jyumoku) Portal site for tree burial (jyumoku-so) services and information, helping users find and compare tree burial options across Japan.
• 納骨堂なび (e-Nokotsu) Portal site for ossuary (noukotsu-do) facilities and services, helping users find and compare columbarium and charnel house options.
• 介護事業 (Elderly Care Business via Age Plus) Elderly care and nursing care services operated by subsidiary Age Plus Co., Ltd., providing care facility referrals and support services for seniors. Acquired October 2021 and now being merged into the Kamakura Shinsho group.
• 官民協働事業 (Public-Private Partnership Okuyami Corner Operations) Public-private partnership services including operation of 'Okuyami Corner' (after-death procedure counters) at municipal offices across Japan, plus production of municipal publicity materials on end-of-life topics. Coverage spans 47 prefectures and 450 municipalities as of January 2025.
• 海洋散骨事業 (Sea Burial Services via House Boat Club) Sea burial (ocean scattering of ashes) services operated by subsidiary House Boat Club Co., Ltd., a group company offering ocean scattering as an end-of-life disposition option.
• 1 yen SO Trust (Retirement Income Type) Trust-type stock option scheme (1 yen SO Trust - Retirement Income Type) developed in partnership with Kotaeru Trust Co., Ltd. The scheme features a 1 yen exercise price, allowing profits at retirement to be treated as retirement income with applicable tax benefits. Kamakura Shinsho is planned as the first project to implement this new trust-type stock option scheme. Launched March 2026.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kotaeru Trust Co., Ltd. ( Kotaeru Trust株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Partnership for '1 yen SO Trust (Retirement Income Type)' stock compensation system. Kamakura Shinsho is planned as the first project to implement this new trust-type stock option scheme enabling executives to receive stock compensation linked to corporate value upon retirement, with profits treated as retirement income with tax benefits.
• 47 Prefectures and 450 Municipal GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local governments across Japan for 'Okuyami Corner' (funeral reception desk) operations, end-of-life seminar hosting, and municipal publicity material production. Kawasaki City partnership notable for full 7-ward coverage with dedicated staff and reservation call center.
• Age Plus Co., Ltd. (株式会社エイジプラス)coreOthersGroup subsidiary company providing elderly care facility referral services. Contributes to synergy effects within the Kamakura Shinsho group, enhancing cross-use of end-of-life services.
• House Boat Club Co., Ltd. (株式会社ハウスボートクラブ)minorOthersGroup subsidiary company providing ocean ash scattering (sea burial) services. Part of comprehensive end-of-life service offerings.
• KS Real Estate Partners, Ltd. (KS Real estate Partners株式会社)minorOthersGroup subsidiary company for real estate services related to inheritance and end-of-life property matters.
• Bell Insurance Co., Ltd.minorOthersGroup subsidiary company providing insurance services related to end-of-life and elderly care coverage.
• Kamakura Shinsho Life Partners, Ltd.minorOthersGroup subsidiary company supporting life planning and end-of-life service delivery.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Cake: US-based end-of-life planning technology platform offering will, funeral, and estate planning tools; comparable as a digital-native player building infrastructure for end-of-life decisions in a similarly aging Western market.
• Empathy: US bereavement and end-of-life logistics platform helping families with funeral planning, estate settlement, and claims; comparable for targeting the same post-death procedural burden that Kamakura's portals (いい相続, おくやみナビ) address.

Direct peers

• Yorisou (よりそう): Japanese online funeral matching and information platform directly competing with Kamakura's いい葬儀 (e-Sogi) portal; both connect consumers with funeral operators via lead-generation fees and share an end-of-life consumer-targeting model.

Broad incumbents

• Sanre (サンレー): One of Japan's largest funeral-hall operators with nationwide ceremony hall network; comparable because it sits on the supply side of the same end-of-life market that Kamakura's platform intermediates, and competes for the same customer wallet.
• ZIGExN: TSE-listed Japanese vertical internet media operator (insurance comparison, travel, real estate); comparable for its asset-light vertical-portal business model, SEO-driven traffic monetization, and Japanese consumer-information services DNA.
• Belluna (ベルーナ): TSE-listed Japanese conglomerate whose subsidiaries include Cupid (funeral services) and other end-of-life-adjacent businesses; comparable as a diversified incumbent with overlapping funeral and senior-care exposure to Kamakura's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kamakurass
• Xx.com/kamashin_CC

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Kamakura Shinsho