The wood that the danjiri is constructed from is Japanese zelkova, sturdy, expensive, harvested from Osaka, Nara, Wakayama and thereabouts. It dries for two years before carpenters build the danjiri. Then for five years artists carve scenes on the wooden vessel. Kishiwada features some of the world's premier woodwork and a well built danjiri will outlast the men who made it and their children.