Specialists in the fading profession of preparing bodies for funeral and cremation gave a rare glimpse of their skills at the opening of a Tokyo exhibition focused on the business of death and dying.

Practitioners of nokan – translated as “encoffinment” – took part in what organizers said was Japan’s first ever contest to demonstrate their techniques, as a pianist and a guitarist played peaceful, relaxing music.

The contestants demonstrated their skill over the course of 15 minutes Tuesday in dressing live models who laid still on futon.

A panel of three judges examined not only how well the models were dressed but also how gracefully the nokanshi completed the process.

“The kindness and politeness toward the family of the deceased combined with efficiency are key,” said Shinji Kimura, one of the judges and an adviser to the lead actor in “Okuribito.”

“We want to do our best for the final departure of the deceased,” said Kimura, who has 30 years of experience as a nokanshi. “So it should not be mechanical.”

The competition was part of the inaugural Life Ending Industry Expo, which has attracted more than 200 companies in the business of death.

The craft of the specialists, who are known as nokanshi, is declining in bigger cities but remains fairly common in rural areas.

bbabo.Net