Author(s)

Yuze Li ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin, 300141, China

Corresponding Author

Yuze Li

ABSTRACT

The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake and the subsequent heavy rainfall in Okunoto caused severe damage to Wajima lacquerware production, disrupting workshops, material supplies, apprenticeship systems, and the everyday social networks that sustain traditional craft practice. Based on field interviews and documentary sources, this study examines how the disaster affected the cultural production chain of lacquerware and analyzes the multi-layered response involving governmental agencies, cultural institutions, and civil society groups. The findings indicate that post-disaster recovery of intangible cultural heritage extends beyond physical reconstruction and requires the restoration of the relational ecology among artisans, place, and craft techniques. The case of Wajima demonstrates that cultural resilience is not an inherent attribute, but a dynamic process continually shaped through institutional support, community participation, and craft practitioners' self-organization. This study offers an analytical perspective for understanding how intangible cultural heritage adapts to disaster contexts and how cultural ecosystems can rebuild continuity through social collaboration.

KEYWORDS

Intangible Cultural Heritage; Cultural Resilience; Disaster Recovery; Wajima Lacquerware; Craft Ecology

CITE THIS PAPER

Yuze Li, Cultural Resilience and the Protection Mechanism of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Taking the Wajima Lacquer Art after the Noto Earthquake as an Example. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology (2025) Vol. 7: 95-102. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2025.070412.

REFERENCES

[1] Ishikawa Prefectural Cultural Properties Division. Research Report on the Origins of Wajima Lacquerware [R]. Ishikawa: Ishikawa Prefectural Cultural Properties Division, 2020. 
[2] Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan). Report on the Cultural Property Rescue Program [R]. Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2012.
[3] Wajima Shikken (Wajima Lacquerware Technical Training Institute), Ishikawa Prefecture. Overview of the Training Institute [R]. Ishikawa: Wajima Shikken (Wajima Lacquerware Technical Training Institute), 2023.
[4] Wajima Museum of Urushi Art, Ishikawa Prefecture. Museum History and Collection Catalogue [R]. Ishikawa: Wajima Museum of Urushi Art, 2022.
[5] Mainichi Shimbun. Commemorative Collection Exhibition for the Revival of Wajima Lacquerware Held at the Wajima Lacquerware Art Museum [N]. 2024-11-28 (Local Edition). 
Accessible via: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20241128/ddl/k17/040/203000c.
[6] Architectural Institute of Japan. Investigation Report on the Fire in Central Wajima City Caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake [R]. Tokyo: Architectural Institute of Japan, 2024. 
[7] Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan). Damage Report on Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings [R]. Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2024-10. 
[8] Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). Reconstruction Plan for National Route 249 in the Noto Region [R/OL]. 2025-06. Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau, MLIT. Reconstruction Plan for Route 249 in Noto, 2025. Available from: https://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp.
[9] Hokkoku Shimbun. Theft Incident Occurs at Workers' Dormitory of Wajima Reconstruction Site [N]. 2025-05-12. Original headline: Theft occurs in staff dormitory at Rinkai Reconstruction Site.

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