Crafting Recovery

Wajima lacquerware legend Taya-Shikkiten continues its post-quake recovery at this year’s International Bazaar.

The 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on the first day of this year left hundreds dead, more than 1,000 injured and caused over $17 billion worth of damage.

The loss was compounded by a five-day fire that consumed a large swath of the city of Wajima, destroying or damaging traditional crafts centers and businesses that have been operating for more than a century. The Club’s Connections group will show its support for the region’s recovery by featuring artisans from Noto at November’s International Bazaar.

Wajima is renowned for its exquisite lacquerware, known as Wajimanuri, and some 6,000 of its 23,000 residents were involved in the industry as of last year. It is highly valued for its beautiful glossy finish featuring maki-e designs created by sprinkling gold or silver powder onto wet lacquer. Known as shikki in Japanese, the craft is part of a centuries-old tradition in Japan, China and Korea in which the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) and related species is harvested to produce a hard, glossy finish that makes wooden objects durable and waterproof.

One of the companies participating in the International Bazaar is Taya-Shikkiten. It was founded by craftsman Taya Kihei in 1818, when the Maeda samurai clan ruled the Kaga Domain. In the 19th century, the Taya family brought their lacquerware to Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Osaka. Their business continued, through war, mass production of tableware and changing consumer tastes. Despite all that, the family has preserved its traditional production methods using only natural lacquer.

Image of Taya-Shikkiten artisans craft lacquerware by hand using centuries-old techniques: Beech Photography Tokyo

Making Wajima lacquerware is a painstaking process involving 124 stages and up to 100 artisans. It begins when crafts workers carve out a block of wood from the Asunaro tree, an evergreen native to Japan. The wood is smoked and dried for a year so that all moisture is removed, improving its durability. It is then enhanced with a transparent base coat of lacquer.

Next, a mix of lacquer, baked earth and rice glue is applied to the ends of the wooden base. It is during this process that an important feature of Wajima lacquerware is added: baked diatomaceous earth (jinoko). This is a light, chalk-like sedimentary rock that contains fossilized algae, making it highly absorbent. The entire surface is then sanded down. Lacquer layers are repeatedly added and polished before the object is dried and hardened in a cedar storage container.

For the finish, a top coating of filtered lacquer is painted on in a dust-free room. On objects with decorative elements, workers apply maki-e or add extra carving, lacquer and gold elements. Only after this long manual process is the product ready for a lifetime of service.

“We cannot automate our production process because the climate and humidity affect the lacquer and will change the results,” says Takahiro Taya, the 10th-generation head of Taya-Shikkiten. “Also, the finish, including the patterns, are not something that can be achieved with a machine.”

In 1977, the Japanese government designated Wajimanuri an Intangible Cultural Property. But that could not protect Wajima, one of the country’s 23 centers of lacquerware production, and Taya-Shikkiten from the New Year’s Day earthquake. The tremor destroyed its office, showroom and workshop, and the resulting fire razed a new gallery that was to open in February. It was the greatest shock the business had ever faced, but the family was undaunted.

“Since no one was injured, we immediately started rebuilding,” says Taya-Shikkiten’s Maiko Kageshima. “On January 2, we declared our intention to rebuild, and on January 13, we launched a crowdfunding project to take orders for future Wajimanuri products. These were some of the fastest initiatives taken by a private company. Our swift response attracted attention, and when Prime Minister Kishida visited the US in April, we were honored to make Wajimanuri coffee cups as gifts for President Biden.”

In addition to Wajimanuri, the Club’s International Bazaar will feature holiday gift ideas, keepsakes and home enhancements from around Japan. Proceeds from the International Bazaar will be used to benefit the Connections group’s support of charities.

“While there has been media coverage of a delayed recovery in Wajima and Noto, we have seen people, including staff from local governments, working tirelessly to move forward,” says Kageshima. “We would appreciate it if you could continue to follow our activities with interest.”