image: The workshop and residence, completely destroyed by the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, was rebuilt within three months through close collaboration among architects, a structural engineer, a master carpenter, and a lacquer artisan. By combining technical expertise with traditional craftsmanship, the team restored the building while preserving its character.
Credit: Okayama University of Science
An interdisciplinary project team led by Associate Professor Toshio Yada of the Department of Architecture at Okayama University of Science has received the Grand Prix—the top honor—at the 5th Japan Wabunka Grand Prix, an award that recognized outstanding achievement by individuals and organizations engaged in traditional Japanese culture. The team was honored for its work rebuilding a lacquerware workshop in Wajima, on the Noto Peninsula, that was devastated by a disaster. The award is organized by the Japan Culture Promotion Project, a general incorporated association.
The award-winning initiative, titled the Small Wooden Substrate Workshop Revitalization Project, brought together Associate Professor Yada; Akito Akagi, a Wajima lacquer artist and president of Kijiya Co., a wooden substrate workshop specializing in Wajima lacquerware; Seiichi Aoe, president of MINAMOTO ARCHITECTURE WORKS inc.; master carpenter Atushi Harada; and structural engineer Yosuke Kinoshita.
The Wajima area suffered catastrophic damage in the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. With no clear outlook for resuming production of the traditional craft of Wajima lacquerware, many wooden substrate makers—an essential part of the production process—were forced to close their business one after another. Against this backdrop, the project was launched with the goal of preserving traditional techniques and fostering future artisans by enabling the rapid reconstruction of a collapsed wooden substrate workshop, thereby supporting the restart of Wajima lacquerware production.
At Akagi’s initiative, the team quickly assembled and undertook the reconstruction with careful consideration for preserving the character of Wajima’s traditional townscape. Wherever possible, materials that had fallen or been damaged were reused, allowing the workshop to be restored in approximately three months after the disaster.
Commenting on the award, Associate Professor Yada said, “I hope that having our efforts recognized in this way will help convey, even to a small extent, an approach to post-disaster recovery that emphasizes regeneration rather than demolition.”
In addition to the Grand Prix, the awards included one Semi-Grand Prix and 13 Excellence Awards. The award ceremony was held on December 2 at the International House of Japan.
The award-winning project is featured on the Japan Wabunka Grand Prix website (Japanese language only).