First of all, thank you very much for your participation in the donation for Wajima in Paris. On 24, 25th April, I went to Wajima to hand your donation.
It was indescribable to see the trauma that the people I know there have. They were exhausted, but working so hard to stand on. Wajima is traumatised.
The city isn’t recovering yet. The roads had been rebuilt, and there are supermarkets open. However, I had an impression that it’s just started.
The houses which are destroyed still there. Not all the households have access to steady water supply. The temporary housing for people who lost their homes are not sufficient. Debris needs to be cleaned, more manpower needed.
Mr Akagi, whose artisans lost their houses in Wajima, is working so hard to rebuild “the system” of Wajima lacquerware.
Wajima lacquerware is made by several professionals. Wood curvers are one of the most affected profession by the earthquake and fire. Many young artisans already left Wajima and found other jobs. Mr Akagi set up a project to rebuild Wood curvers atelier and try to convince artisans to stay in Wajima.
Mr Kirimoto, whose house destroyed, seeks any possibility to start again. He finally finished sorting stock, setting a temporary atelier. And ready to restart his business.
But his wife was hospitalized recently (she recovered though) Everyone is on the edge.
Mr Aizawa is a wood cutting professional. His workplace was damaged but still standing. Some machines need mending but restarted production. They are coming to Amsterdam in September. I’m looking forward to seeing their items there.
Each one has their own difficult situation. I do what I can do. Please share and see the current situation in Wajima, and if you see a Wajima lacquerware, take a moment to look at it please.
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