Seminar Held to Boost Quake-Hit Wajima-Nuri Lacquerware’s Overseas Sales Development

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, March 27, 2026

WAJIMA, Ishikawa — A seminar to develop overseas sales of Wajima-nuri lacquerware, which was badly hit by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in 2024, was held Wednesday in the traditional craft’s birthplace of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.

The seminar was part of a market development strategy included in the basic concept for a facility to train young Wajima-nuri craftspeople set to open in fiscal 2028 or later.

This is the second time such a seminar has been held.

The lecturer at the latest seminar was Emina Morioka, head of the Japan office of LVMH Metiers d’Art, which belongs the LVMH group that encompasses the world’s top high-end brands, such as Louis Vuitton.

Morioka explained how craftsmanship has been taken seriously in recent years. Giving various examples, such as a runway show held at a World Heritage site of Toji temple in Kyoto, she said, “Foreign brands are receiving many inspirations from Japanese culture.” She added that there is also great interest in lacquer art, a traditional industry of Japan.

Morioka also advised participants on the establishment of brands for developing markets overseas. She said Louis Vuitton highly values trunk making, the origin of the brand, as its identity, and went on to explain the importance of comprehensively telling people the strength and the appeal of Wajima-nuri as a brand.