Lacquerware Institute Reopens in Earthquake-Hit Japan City; Classes Suspended for 9 Months After Ishikawa Disaster

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:39 JST, October 8, 2024

WAJIMA, Ishikawa — Classes have resumed at an institute dedicated to lacquerware in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, about nine months after the devastating Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

The Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Institute of Lacquer Arts is a key facility for passing down the skills needed to create lacquerware, including the famous Wajima-nuri lacquerware.

Initial plans were to restart on Oct. 1, but this was delayed by a week after the record heavy rainfall in September flooded the homes of certain lecturers and others.

On Monday, the institute held an opening ceremony attended by 18 trainees.

“I can finally see your faces 281 days after the quake,” said Kunihiro Komori, 79, the head of the institute. A master of lacquer painting, Komori has been designated a living national treasure.

“I hope you will hone your skills at this institute and become great ‘urushibito’ [lacquer artisans],” he said.

The Jan. 1 earthquake cut off water at the institute and scattered tools and equipment, forcing the suspension of its classes. The institute’s staff worked to restore the facility and secure housing for trainees whose homes were damaged.

Orie Ishihara, 29, who is in the first year of the course, lived in her parents’ house in Toyama Prefecture after the quake. Now she goes to the institute from a trailer residence provided by the institute, together with three other trainees.

“Right after the quake I was at a loss because the future was uncertain, but I’m happy now that I can attend classes with my classmates again,” Ishihara said. A lecturer showed her how to handle lacquer, and she started working on her own pieces.

Classes for the new trainees for this fiscal year are scheduled to start in December. The entire curriculum was delayed due to the quake, so the institute will not accept new trainees next fiscal year.

The institute was chosen as the winner of the 18th Yomiuri Aoniyoshi award, which is given to individuals and groups engaged in activities to protect and pass on cultural assets.