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[title]On August 30 2024, almost eight months after a destructive earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, the Discover Noto Tour was held in the disaster-affected area. The first post-earthquake tour of the peninsula to be attended by visitors from abroad, it saw eight business executives from countries including Spain and the UK visit the city of Wajima, the production centre of Wajima-nuri lacquerware. Participants had the opportunity to interact with craftspeople who overcame the disaster and are now trying to revive their craft.
The tour was guided by Kodai Taya of the long-established Wajima lacquerware company Taya Lacquerware Store. Included in the programme were a sake tasting in the shop's gallery and a demonstration of chinkin, a technique where gold is delicately sunken into a lacquered surface to create intricate patterns. During the live demonstration, guests were able to witness the craftsmanship involved in carving fine lines on the surface of a piece of lacquerware with a chisel and rubbing gold powder and other materials into the item.
Participants viewed Wajima lacquerware works inside Wajima Mirai Kobo Mira-co., a multifunctional trailer house operated by the Taya Lacquerware Store that includes a workshop, exhibition gallery and accommodation, while the demonstration by craftsmen was held at an adjacent car dealership, whose walls are decorated with Wajima lacquer panels.
Tradition and innovation in Wajima lacquerware
The Taya Lacquerware Store has been around for more than 200 years, but like many other businesses in Wajima was hit hard by the earthquake and subsequent fires that damaged the city severely. The shop’s office building and factory were destroyed in the earthquake, and the store gallery, which was set to open later in the year, burned to the ground.
But Kodai Taya, the shop’s point man, has chosen not to dwell on his losses. During the tour, he told participants about the shop's commitment to continue innovating while preserving the tradition of Wajima-nuri, despite the difficult post-disaster situation in the region.
‘The techniques we use have remained traditional and unchanged over the years.’ said Taya. ‘What we change are the products that we apply the techniques to.’ Wajima-nuri has been designated an important intangible cultural asset of Japan due to the rigour of its production process, but the right balance between tradition and innovation appears to be key to its future.
The heritage-designated production process of Wajima-nuri is unique to the area. It is divided into 124 steps, including making the wood base of an item, undercoating, overcoating, roiro (colouring), makie (decoration) and chinkin (gold detailing), each of which is carried out by a specialised artisan.
‘For example, diatomaceous earth is used to make the undercoat,’ Taya explained. ‘This is a unique material created by the geology of Noto and is the source of the strength of Wajima lacquerware.’ Diatomaceous earth is applied in layers, with each layer having different particle sizes. This fills in even the smallest of gaps in the material and produces incredibly durable items. There are also strict standards for the lacquer coating. This thoroughness is what sets Wajima lacquerware apart from other similar traditions; Wajima-nuri, along with Tsugaru-nuri from the Tsugaru region in Aomori prefecture, is the only traditional Japanese craft to be designated an important intangible cultural asset.
'Wajima-nuri techniques are strictly regulated to ensure uniform quality, no matter who makes the item. At first glance, this may seem to limit creativity, but this rigour is in fact the force behind our recovery from the disaster,’ said Taya.
That’s because craftspeople who lost their workshops in the earthquake can continue working in other workshops, since they all uphold the same strict standards. This also makes it possible for the entire production area to cooperate – a characteristic that has already helped Wajima-nuri production recover to the same level as before the earthquake.
But preserving tradition alone is not enough to ensure a future for the craft. The Taya Lacquerware Store is also committed to innovation, working to develop new products that meet modern needs.
In one noteworthy example, Wajima artisans created a pair of coffee cups that was presented by Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to US President Joe Biden when Kishida visited the White House in April 2024. The cups, decorated with a gradation of black and blue, were designed to evoke the dawn and sea of the Noto Peninsula.
‘We initially proposed a black and red gradient, but when it was pointed out that those were the colours of former President Donald Trump, we hastily changed to blue,’ Taya said, laughing. The metallic look of the blue colour was also the result of a new technique, as it was accomplished with a mix of lacquer and mica, a blend developed by the Industrial Research Institute of Ishikawa prefecture.
Diatomaceous earth and the world of Zen
The Discover Noto Tour also allowed participants to enjoy the beautiful nature of the Noto Peninsula. The gentle coastline known as Uchiura and the terrain composed of diatomaceous earth are unique to the region. As noted by Taya, diatomaceous earth is a key raw material for Wajima lacquerware and an inseparable part of the local industry. The Noto Peninsula is a mecca for diatomaceous earth. Originally marine plankton, the material was brought to the surface by tectonic forces.’
Furthermore, the tour included a visit to the Sojiji Soin Temple. Besides being a highly regarded producer, seller and repairer of lacquerware, the Taya Lacquerware Store, also specialises in the restoration of cultural assets. In fact, the restoration of Sojiji was Kodai Taya’s first job after he took over the family business eight years ago. Sojiji was once the head temple of Soto Zen Buddhism in Japan and is said to have contributed to the spread of Wajima-nuri throughout the country. Ascetic monks practising at the temple used Wajima-nuri bowls known as oryoki, which were eventually introduced at temples across Japan.
'Oryoki are simple and stackable vessels,’ explained Taya. ‘They were designed to be easy for monks to carry around.’ Tour participants were able to experience first-hand the essence of Wajima-nuri, which combines the spirit of Zen, practicality and beauty.
Thoughts on organising a recovery tour
With recovery efforts still ongoing on the Noto Peninsula, moving to invite international visitors and have them tour the area was no easy decision for Taya. ‘It’s hard to say whether having people come to Noto now is a good or a bad thing,’ he said, ‘but I still want everyone to see what we have here. If people from outside the peninsula start visiting regularly again, I think tourism, jobs and industry will recover – and people who have left might rethink their decision.’
The long road to recovery
Tour participants also visited a morning market where traces of the disaster still remain. Here, Taya gave a vivid account of the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
‘On January 1, Wajima looked as if Godzilla had come through and destroyed the city,’ he said ‘But the views then and today are completely different. Now, demolition has progressed and more land has been cleared. Telegraph poles have been straightened, and we have electricity and running water.’
Nevertheless, there’s still a mountain of challenges to be addressed. The disaster upended and transformed the lives of many people, but also created new possibilities. Taya has set up a company called Recover Noto, which is working on the reconstruction of Noto and the promotion of local products. By communicating the thoughts of the producers and the stories of their products, the company is going beyond mere reconstruction assistance to rediscover Noto's charms, in the hope that this will lead to long-term development.
Building a new showcase for Noto
Among the stories of reconstruction heard by the tour participants, that of Kenji and Miki Kubo was particularly impressive. The couple, who originally worked in Kanazawa, moved to Wajima because they were attracted to Noto. ‘As we drove around Noto, we were fascinated by the culture, nature and food here,’ recalled Kenji.
The Kubos met Kodai Taya shortly after moving to Wajima. They were impressed by his attitude and desire to open up new possibilities for Wajima lacquerware, and helped the artisan set up a gallery. But then the earthquake hit.
‘Immediately after the earthquake, I really didn't know what was ahead,’ Kenji Kubo recalled. , The gallery he and his wife were supposed to run burned down just before they were due to open. ‘When I saw our house in flames on TV, I just laughed. Looking back, I must have been quite mentally unstable.’
In the midst of the Kubos’ despair, Taya was the one who helped them look to the future again. He invited them to work together on rebuilding the Taya Lacquerware Store and to help Noto as a whole recover from the disaster.
‘We were of course grateful for the supplies and the money,’ Kenji Kubo said, ‘but what made us happiest were the words from our friends and family, who were like, “We'll manage” and “We'll support you”.’
The Kubos’ experience convinced them to get involved in the reconstruction of Noto. They are currently working with Recover Noto to reconstruct a new gallery showcasing the best of the region.
'There are many wonderful local crafts in Noto that are not yet well known,’ said Kenji Kubo ‘We don't want people to buy these products simply out of sympathy, but because they are really good products. That’s what will eventually lead to reconstruction. We want to create a virtuous circle.’
The Kubos now have something else to cherish, too. Their long-awaited baby daughter was born five months after the disaster. They named their child Nozomi, or ‘Hope’. 'I want my daughter to see the city recovering, I want her to see people working hard, and I want her to grow up in the nature of Noto,’ said Miki Kubo, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Like watching a child grow up
Taya believes that the right kind of tourism can help Noto build back better. ‘I want visitors to stay involved here so that they can enjoy the phases of growth and recovery like their own children's development,’ he said. ‘And I hope people will want to see and talk about the current situation. Going forward, Taya plans to call on other local lacquerware shops and tourism agencies to organise additional tours, all with the aim of supporting the reconstruction of the entire area.
Meanwhile, Taya and his colleagues are also working to train a new generation of craftspeople and are promoting initiatives to improve the sustainability of the industry. As the reconstruction of Noto progresses, opportunities such as the Discover Noto Tour are sure to become more frequent – a welcome development for visitors as well as the residents of a region full of beautiful nature and intriguing culture and heritage.