WAJIMA NURI / WAJIMA LACQUERWARE
About 700 years ago / 1300s / Muromachi Period
Wajima lacquerware has been produced in the Noto region since medieval times and expanded greatly in the Edo period through exceptionally durable foundation techniques and traveling merchant networks. Powdered baked diatomaceous earth called jinoko is mixed into lacquer layers and repeatedly applied and polished to build a remarkably strong base.
In Japan, Wajima represents lacquerware made to last a lifetime. Bowls, tiered boxes and trays are prized not only for chinkin and maki-e decoration but for a strong repair culture: old pieces are recoated and damaged areas restored so objects can pass through generations.
A single vessel may involve more than one hundred stages divided among specialists in wood, foundation, coating, polishing and decoration. Cloth is even applied to vulnerable edges and joints before the decorative finish. Strength is engineered long before the beauty is visible.