Before the era of modern construction, Japanese carpenters traveling to various construction sites carried three sacred carpentry items with them: a hatchet, a sashigane (an L-shaped framing square), and an inkpot. Skilled woodcarvers began appearing in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, toward the end of the Meiji period, and at its peak, the region accounted for more than 80% of Japan's total woodcarving production. Today, sadly, traditional carpentry tools and traditions are disappearing as they are replaced by new technologies.