"Wajima-nuri" Shop Resolved to Protect Craft after Quake

Wajima, Ishikawa Pref., Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)--A "Wajima-nuri" lacquerware shop is resolved to protect the traditional local craft, overcoming the damage it sustained from the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan.

The temblor damaged many Wajima-nuri workshops in Wajima, one of the hardest-hit municipalities in Ishikawa Prefecture. 

Among them was the Taya Shikkiten shop.

When the shop started an online crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for reconstruction, donations came quickly from all over the country, along with many encouraging messages.

"We will definitely carry on the tradition," said Takahiro Taya, 32, the 10th-generation representative of Taya Shikkiten, founded in 1818 during the Edo period.

"It would be too late to start moving when the industry in Wajima reopens," Taya said, explaining why he acted quickly to begin the crowdfunding campaign.

The Wajima-nuri craft is designated by the state as an important intangible cultural property.

At its workshop in Wajima, Taya Shikkiten made ordered goods and repaired cultural properties. 

It had also developed overseas sales channels.

But the workshop building collapsed due to the quake. 

A gallery scheduled to open in February in the Asaichi-dori shopping district burned down before Taya's eyes. 

The loss is estimated at about 400 million yen for lacquerware alone.

All of about 20 craftspeople and employees were safe, but most of their work tools, such as brushes for lacquer painting, were lost. 

Although Taya had no prospect of rebuilding his life, he started the campaign Jan. 13 in order to reconstruct the workshop.

"At first, I was uneasy, wondering if I should start it at this time," he said.

The return gifts are only Wajima-nuri chopsticks, sake cups and bowls, and their deliveries may be delayed depending on progress in reconstruction, he also said.

Nevertheless, donations kept coming in and reached the initial target of 10 million yen in three days. 

There were more than 650 messages, including "I support you from my heart" and "I hope Wajima-nuri will continue."

"I didn't know there are so many people who support us," Taya said. 

"Our craftspeople have been cheered."

But the road to the reconstruction is bumpy.

Wajima-nuri lacquerware is unique in that any single work involves a number of craftspeople. 

It goes through as many as 124 processes before completion.

Taya Shikkiten often works with craftspeople at other shops. 

So it is indispensable to realize the reconstruction of the industry as a whole, Taya said.

"Many people in Noto are stubborn and don't give up easily," he said. 

"We will definitely inherit this wonderful Japanese lacquerware culture and convey it to people around the world."

Taya is working hard to set up a temporary workshop by the end of next month.

END