Wajima Lacquerware Meets with Warm Reception at Milan Design Week, as Officials Plan to Grow Overseas Sales of Craft

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:02 JST, May 21, 2025

Officials from Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, paid a visit in April to Milan Design Week, where they hope to start exhibiting Wajima lacquerware from next year onward. They were encouraged by the potential for expanded international sales of the craft, which was hard hit by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

The focus of the event is the international Salone del Mobile.Milano (Milan Furniture Fair), which attracts about 300,000 visitors and involves more than 2,000 companies and designers. A wide array of designs and art are displayed at the fair.

Milan Design Week is a key marketplace that draws buyers and retailers from around the world. Participating in these types of exhibitions can lead to significant international growth, as was experienced by Saga Prefecture’s Arita porcelain.

Officials from the Wajima municipal government and the Wajima Urushi Ware Cooperative Society stopped by venues displaying traditional crafts from Akita and Fukui prefectures. They were also seen explaining the more than 120-step production process for Wajima lacquerware and the techniques for decorating pieces with gold powder, holding up trays and bowls brought from Japan.

A Swiss student praised the gloss and colors as beautiful and artistic, and said she wanted to see more examples of the craft.

“Even abroad, people can understand the high quality and appeal of Wajima lacquerware,” reflected Hidekuni Hosokawa, a senior official from the Wajima municipal government’s global promotion office for lacquerware. “We want to sell around the world.”

“We gained valuable insight for developing sales channels,” said Iwane Matsumoto, of the Wajima Urushi Ware Cooperative Society. “It is crucial that we convey the unique characteristics of Wajima lacquerware in an easily understandable manner to an international market.”

Wajima lacquerware, which has been described as “durable and elegant,” depends on the advanced techniques of its craftspeople. However, the number of artisans fell from nearly 3,000 in the early 1990s to around 1,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic, a decline attributed to sluggish sales following the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy.

Workshops took another hit in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and the Wajima lacquerware cooperative now estimates that there are only about 600 people still working in the craft.

Ishikawa Prefecture plans to open a training facility for young workers to ensure that the industry lives on. The committee overseeing the plan for the facility includes representatives from the government, industry, areas where lacquerware is produced, and The Yomiuri Shimbun. It has discussed developing sales channels overseas and pursuing creative rebuilding.