Kiji-shi were craftsmen who collected woods in mountains and made wooden products, such as bowls and trays, and it is said that in the mountain range from Okukoya to Yoshino there had been such craftsmen called 'Koshuwatari Kiji-shi' who had their base mainly in Ogura Village, Omi Province (Eigenji-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture) until the Taisho era.
木地師とは、山で木を採り椀や盆などの木製品に仕上げる職人で、奥高野から吉野にかけての山域には近江国小椋村（滋賀県東近江市永源寺町）を本拠地とした江州渡（こうしゅうわたり）木地師と呼ばれた人々が大正の頃までいたという。