A Japanese lacquerware maker is determined to rebuild his community and continue a traditional craft after devastating earthquakes and floods.
Wajima, Japan — Lacquerware maker Takaho Shoji hunches over his desk in the disaster-hit city of Wajima in central Japan , applying another layer of coating to a dark, wooden box. One brushstroke at a time, the 53-year-old is determined to bring life back to his remote community after a devastating New Year's Day earthquake, followed by severe floods.
'I need to do whatever I can to move forward with the reconstruction, and to continue this tradition and pass it on to the next generations,' said the soft-spoken father of two. 'We have to work harder together, otherwise the local lacquerware industry will fade.' Wajima, a coastal city with a population of just over 20,000, is a nationally celebrated center for fine lacquerware. Products made there are known as Wajima-nuri, and a basic soup bowl can command a price of $150 or more. This year brought death and suffering to the city and its surrounding communities at the tip of the Noto Peninsula. As families prepared for their New Year's Day dinners, a terrifying 7.5-magnitude jolt accompanied by powerful aftershocks destroyed houses and businesses. Sweeping fires, a tsunami and landslides engulfed the region and forced most residents and their visiting relatives to flee to evacuation shelters. Then, as they tried to rebuild their lives, torrential rain flooded the city in September, destroying more homes. The disasters also shattered the network of roughly 700 artisans and workers in Wajima's lacquerware industry, which has been losing workers like other fine crafts. Damage to the city has been so extensive that municipal officials are not even certain how many craftspeople are still activ
Lacquerware Japan Earthquake Flood Tradition
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