Wajima lacquerware, crafted in Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture, was the first lacquerware in Japan to be designated a National Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1977.
Its hallmark features are the brilliant decorative motifs—often auspicious plants and animals rendered in gold—and a remarkable durability that withstands daily use.
Wajima’s climate, where the moist winds from the Sea of Japan are embraced by surrounding mountains, provides ideal conditions for lacquerware production.
The region also nurtures abundant hinoki-asunaro and zelkova trees, the essential raw materials.
In this environment, blessed by nature and refined by human skill, Wajima lacquerware has been passed down to the present day as a true harmony of craftsmanship and landscape.

While many lacquerwares on the market today use only a thin coating of natural lacquer on the surface, true Wajima lacquerware insists on solid wood and pure lacquer throughout. The secret behind its legendary strength lies in “jinoko,” a diatomaceous earth unique to the Wajima region.
Used in the undercoating, this powder gives Wajima lacquerware exceptional resilience found nowhere else.
Layer upon layer of natural lacquer deepens in luster and richness the more the piece is used—another defining charm of Wajima lacquerware.

Its development was also supported by a unique figure in the local industry: the “nushiya,” or lacquerware producers.
They specialized in planning and distribution, unified the work of various craftsmen, and traveled across the country to share the beauty of Wajima lacquerware.
Taya Lacquerware Store is one such nushiya, with a lineage that extends back to the Edo period.

At Taya Lacquerware Store, the guiding theme is “a lacquerware atelier rooted in everyday living,” proposing a way of life where people and nature coexist harmoniously.
Wajima lacquerware production is divided into specialized processes—woodworking, coating, decoration—and many craftsmen are involved at each stage.

Taya places great importance on never rushing these processes. By allowing the lacquer to dry naturally and thoroughly, they avoid issues such as lingering odors or skin irritation, and ensure each piece becomes strong and long-lasting.
To make Wajima lacquerware as pleasant as possible to use, every item is finished slowly, with patience and care.

Taya also repairs lacquerware from regions outside Wajima.
This is possible thanks to the knowledge accumulated since the Edo period—seeing, touching, and studying works from all over Japan—and the exceptional skills of its craftsmen.
Although Wajima lacquerware is known for its striking materials and decorative techniques, the foundation lies in steady, understated work: “kijigatame,” where raw lacquer is absorbed deep into the wood to strengthen it and prevent warping or cracking; and “nunogise,” where lacquer-infused cloth is applied with glue-lacquer to reinforce vulnerable areas like the base or rim.
These are essential, characteristic steps in Wajima lacquerware.

A veteran craftsman with 42 years of experience says: “The finished piece may look glamorous, but the work itself is humble. It’s the smallest details that truly reveal a craftsman’s skill.” Even now, he continues to learn by observing the work of others.

In the coating workshop, a young craftswoman in her third year of training quietly moves her brush with concentration.
Originally from Tokyo, she chose this path because she never forgot the feel of the lacquer spoon she encountered as a child in Wajima.
The patient handiwork of craftsmen elevates the natural lacquer’s pleasant tactile quality, durability, and the deepening beauty that emerges with use.

Taya’s current representative, Kodai Taya, returned to the family business nine years ago.
During his university days, he noticed that miso soup simply didn’t taste the same when using a bowl he had bought after moving away from home.
“It wasn’t that the miso soup tasted bad—it was that the Wajima lacquer bowl I’d casually used at home had been truly exceptional,” he recalls.
Wooden bowls retain warmth, and natural lacquer has a unique feel against the lips and hands.
The shape, with its raised foot, nestles comfortably in the hand and brings a refined presence to the table. It is a form so complete that further improvement seems unnecessary.

Kodai says, “There’s no need to force change on the product. Changing the packaging, presentation, or the way we communicate is enough.” One of his early focuses after returning home was the aging workforce.
At the time, even workers in their forties were considered the “youngest.”
Patiently and thoughtfully, he worked to modernize the workplace without disrupting the good traditions.
As he explains, “If you change too much at once, it causes resistance and stress. I struggled with how to keep the good while improving the bad.” Today, the workshop is led mainly by artisans in their thirties and forties, and new initiatives—collaborations with restaurants, rental services, and more—have begun.
Kodai believes that innovation in traditional crafts means treasuring what is old as it is, while transforming how it is shared with the world.

Historically, nushiya were cultural figures. They traveled the country, shared information, recited poetry, prepared tea, arranged flowers, welcomed guests, and conveyed customers’ thoughts to the craftsmen.
That spirit remains unchanged, but Kodai says: “From now on, it’s not only about going outward—we want to bring many people here.”
After experiencing the recent earthquake, he felt strongly: “I want this to be a place where people from all over the world come to buy Wajima lacquerware.”
Envisioning a future where Wajima lacquerware revitalizes the entire Noto region, Taya Lacquerware Store continues to share its enduring beauty.