輪島塗 (Wajima-Nuri)
Wajima-nuri, the lacquerware of Wajima on the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Production runs to about 124 process steps divided among specialist craftspeople — woodworkers, lacquerers and maki-e artists. Its ground coats mix urushi with jinoko, a powder made by baking diatomaceous earth mined in Wajima, which gives exceptional durability, and cloth is applied to vulnerable edges (nunokise) for reinforcement. Designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan. Wajima's workshops were severely damaged in the January 2024 Noto earthquake and are rebuilding.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed; designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan
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