What Heian Ceremony Service does

Heian Ceremony Service (平安レイサービス株式会社), founded on September 17, 1969, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, is a Japanese ceremonial services operator providing weddings, funerals, and elderly care across the Shonan area, central Kanagawa, and Machida. The company operates 54 direct-run funeral facilities under brands including Shōwa Kaidō, Shōwa Kaikan, Shōwa Reibokan, and Cultier BONDS, plus two direct-operated wedding venues (Cortile Chigasaki and Royal Manor Fort Bellejour), handling approximately 7,800 funeral cases annually with a group workforce exceeding 1,100 employees. Its technology stack is service-and-logistics oriented rather than software-oriented: in-house manufactured ceremonial hardware (tempura wagon, Hanazono flower arrangements, memorial altars, original large-format speakers), ISO9001-certified service management systems, and an IT-light WordPress web presence.

The business model blends recurring prepaid revenue with one-off ceremonial fees. The Heian mutual aid system (互助会) collects monthly installments (T course: 3,000 yen × 70 months; U course: 2,000 yen × 105 months; V course: 2,000 yen × 51 months) that entitle members to wedding and funeral services up to a defined goods-and-services cap, providing inflation-protected, locked-in future revenue. On the consumption side, weddings and funerals generate one-off payments, while group homes (Group Home Heian) and care support houses (Care Support Housing Heian) provide subscription-style elderly care revenue. A second growth vector runs through wholly-owned subsidiary Yamadai Shōji, which produces consumer food products (curry, stew, oden, fish products) under the Yamadai Foods brand in partnership with Hiratsuka City, JA Shonan, and the Hiratsuka Fisheries Cooperative.

Go-to-market is hybrid. The core consumer-facing motion is direct-to-consumer via self-operated facilities and a long-tail mutual aid membership book built on referrals and community word-of-mouth. A complementary channel-partners motion recruits franchisees into a compact-format family funeral model (~50-tsubo converted convenience-store sites), supplying proprietary hardware and operating know-how in exchange for franchise fees and supply revenues. The company was previously listed on JASDAQ (IPO December 16, 2002, transferred to TSE Standard), but in 2026 announced stock consolidation and delisting, indicating a going-private transaction. Founder Yamada Akihiro continues to serve as Representative Director and President.

Name

Heian Ceremony Service

Legal name

平安レイサービス株式会社

Website

https://heian-group.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Heian Ceremony Service (平安レイサービス株式会社) is a regional Japanese ceremonial services operator founded in 1969, running 54 direct-operated funeral halls, two wedding venues, and elderly care facilities across Kanagawa and Machida, serving individual consumers through a prepaid mutual aid membership system and one-off wedding and funeral fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding and Funeral Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (81221), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Wedding Planning (HSACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reception Planning & Guest Experience (Seating, Favors, Hospitality) (HSACABAM), Wedding & Reception Catering (HSACAGAD)

Keywords

• Wedding ceremony services
• Funeral and memorial services
• Elderly residential care
• Mutual aid membership
• Ceremonial food manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiratsuka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 互助会会費 (Mutual Aid Membership Fees): Monthly installment payments for mutual aid membership providing rights to wedding and funeral services. T course: 3,000 yen x 70 months = 210,000 yen; U course: 2,000 yen x 105 months = 210,000 yen; V course: 2,000 yen x 51 months = 105,000 yen (first payment 3,000 yen). Consumer prepays for future ceremonial services.
2. 婚礼サービス (Wedding Services): Wedding ceremony services including venue rental, catering, photography, dress rental, hair and makeup for brides. Discounts for members: 15% off clothing rental, 10% off photography.
3. 葬祭サービス (Funeral/Memorial Services): Funeral services including venue rental, altar setup, catering for wakes and memorial services. T/U courses include maximum 385,340 yen (tax included) worth of goods and services. V course for simple family-centered ceremonies.
4. 介護サービス (Elderly Care Services): Group homes (グループホームへいあん) and support houses (支援ハウスウィズリビングへいあん) providing elderly care services
5. 食品販売 (Food Products Sales): Retort food products under 山大フーズ brand including curry, stew, oden, and fish products with 10% member discount. Products like Toman Saba Curry and local seafood processed products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heian Ceremony Service plans, operates, and provides wedding ceremonies, funeral and memorial services, and elderly residential care for residents of Kanagawa and surrounding prefectures. Its business also includes a mutual-aid membership program with tiered courses (T, U, V) covering marriage, longevity, and funeral benefits, and the in-house Yamadai Foods brand producing ceremonial food offerings. A franchise program extends the company's ceremonial-hall brand through partner operators in additional regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 湘和会堂: Funeral hall facilities operated by the company
• 湘和会所
• 湘和礼殯館
• コルティーレ茅ヶ崎
• ロイヤルマナーフォートベルジュール
• カルチャーBONDS
• 山大フーズ
• ウィズリビングへいあん

Products and services

• Wedding Ceremony Services Full-service wedding ceremony planning and execution at company-operated ceremony halls and chapels, including venue, catering, photography, and bridal attire coordination. Targeted at engaged couples in the Kanagawa/Shonan region.
• Funeral and Memorial Services End-to-end funeral, memorial, and burial ceremony services delivered through company-operated and partner (franchise) ceremony halls. Includes ceremony planning, in-house prepared food, and after-service support for bereaved families in Kanagawa and other prefectures.
• Elderly Care Services Residential and community-based care services for seniors, including group homes (認知症対応型共同生活介護) and small-scale multi-functional in-home care offices (小規模多機能型居宅介護). Targeted at elderly individuals and their families in the Shonan area.
• Mutual Aid Membership Program (T, U, V Courses) Subscription-style mutual aid membership offering tiered courses (T course ¥300, U course ¥500, V course ¥1,000) that provide benefits for marriage, longevity/anniversary, and funeral events, plus member discounts on photography (10%), bridal clothing (15%), and food offerings (10%). Targeted at individuals and households planning life ceremonies in Kanagawa and surrounding areas.
• Yamadai Foods Ceremonial Food Products In-house manufactured ceremonial food offerings (including items such as Shōjin soba and Okowa) sold at company facilities and ceremony halls under the Yamadai Foods brand. Targeted at customers attending weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies hosted at Heian venues.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 平塚市coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Local government partnership for '平塚海姫・山彦プロジェクト' (Fisheries and Mountain Project). The company participates in local industry collaboration to develop food products from underutilized fish and agricultural products, reducing food waste while creating value-added products.
• 株式会社ファームビレッジ湘南minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural company collaborating in the '海姫・山彦プロジェクト' for food product development.
• 平塚市漁業協同組合coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal fisheries cooperative providing underutilized fish species for processed food products including '漁港のアヒージョ' (Harbor Ajillo) and other value-added products.
• 山大商事株式会社coreTechnology or IntegrationGroup company handling food processing and product development. Responsible for manufacturing retort foods and processed seafood products under 山大フーズ brand.
• 合同会社森丘商会minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness partner collaborating in the '海姫・山彦プロジェクト' for food product development.
• JA湘南 (湘南農業協同組合)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural cooperative providing irregular-shape/size produce (規格外) and local agricultural products for food product development, including tomatoes for Toman Saba Curry.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: UK-listed funeral services group with branded funeral homes and pre-arranged funeral plans. Comparable to Heian's direct-operated halls combined with long-duration prepayment products (T/U/V mutual aid courses).
• Bell System24 Holdings: Large Japanese services group with ceremony-related operations among broader BPO and customer services. Comparable as an incumbent platform covering Japanese family-services demand at greater scale than Heian.
• Service Corporation International: Largest publicly listed funeral services company globally, operating cemetery and funeral networks. Comparable as the global reference point for funeral hall unit economics, pre-need/membership programs, and multi-region rollouts relevant to Heian.
• StoneMor Partners: US-listed operator of cemeteries, funeral homes, and pre-need sales financing. Comparable to Heian in the pre-need mutual aid model that pre-funds ceremonial services through installment contracts.

Direct peers

• Thank You Service (Arigato Service): Japanese listed operator of funeral halls and ceremony services with a strong regional hub strategy. Directly comparable to Heian in funeral hall operations, mutual aid membership, and cross-selling of post-funeral products.
• Trust Holdings (Memorial Cloud / Sougi): Japanese funeral and memorial services platform operating family-funeral halls across multiple prefectures. Comparable to Heian's regional funeral hall network and bundled ceremony offerings.
• Tsukada Holdings: Japanese wedding venue operator running the Tsukada Group of bridal and ceremony halls. Directly comparable to Heian's Cortile Chigasaki and Royal Manor Fort Bellejour venues and its full-service wedding model.
• Tear Corporation: One of Japan's largest pure-play funeral services operators with a national network of family-funeral halls. Directly comparable to Heian's 54-facility direct-operated funeral platform and mutual-aid-driven customer model.
• Kosaido Holdings: Japanese operator with wedding, funeral, and life-event service businesses (e.g., the BRIDAL HOUSE and ceremony hall brands). Comparable to Heian in offering full life-stage ceremony services under one corporate umbrella.

Emerging players

• Aeon Delight: Japanese services company expanding into facility management and ceremony-related support for elderly care facilities. Adjacent peer as Heian grows its group home and elderly care segment alongside funeral services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/heiangrouprecruit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Heian Ceremony Service