Wajima, a coastal city with a population of just over 20,000, is a nationally celebrated centre for fine lacquerware
This picture taken on December 11, 2024 shows Japanese lacquerware maker Takaho Shoji This picture taken on December 11, 2024 shows Japanese lacquerware maker Takaho Shoji
Image: Yuichi Yamazaki / AFP©
Lacquerware maker Takaho Shoji hunches over his desk in the disaster-hit city of Wajima in central Japan, applying another layer of coating to a dark, wooden box.
One brushstroke at a time, the 53-year-old is determined to bring life back to his remote community after a devastating New Year's Day earthquake, followed by severe floods.
"I need to do whatever I can to move forward with the reconstruction, and to continue this tradition and pass it on to the next generations," said the soft-spoken father of two.
"We have to work harder together, otherwise the local lacquerware industry will fade."
Wajima, a coastal city with a population of just over 20,000, is a nationally celebrated centre for fine lacquerware.