Wajima

輪島市わじましWajima-shi

Lacquer town on the northern shore of Noto

Wajima is a port city on the northern coast of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, known for Wajima-nuri lacquerware, its morning market, the Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces and the Zen temple Sōji-ji Soin. The city was among the places hardest hit by the Noto Peninsula earthquake of 1 January 2024.

Overview

Wajima stretches along the Sotoura, the open Sea of Japan coast of the Noto Peninsula, from the Monzen district in the west to the terraced slopes of Shiroyone in the east. The town grew around the mouth of the Kawarada River as a harbour on the coastal shipping routes, and its merchants carried lacquerware from here to every part of Japan.

Wajima-nuri, the city's lacquer, is famous for its durability: the ground layers are mixed with jinoko, a powder of calcined diatomaceous earth found locally, and a single piece passes through more than a hundred steps. The technique is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property. The city's other emblems were its morning market, a street market run largely by women from fishing and farming families, and the Senmaida, more than a thousand tiny rice terraces descending to the sea.

On 1 January 2024 a magnitude 7.6 earthquake centred beneath the tip of the peninsula struck Wajima with the highest intensity on the Japanese scale. Many people died, buildings collapsed across the city, a fire burned down much of the area around the morning-market street, and uplift of the coast raised parts of the seabed above water. Heavy rain in September 2024 caused further floods and landslides.

Landmarks

Shiroyone Senmaida
白米千枚田Shiroyone Senmaida
Over a thousand small terraced paddies on a slope above the sea, a national Place of Scenic Beauty.
Sōji-ji Soin
總持寺祖院Sōji-ji Soin
Original site of one of the two head temples of Sōtō Zen, in Monzen.
Wajima Museum of Urushi Art
石川県輪島漆芸美術館Ishikawa-ken Wajima Shitsugei Bijutsukan
Prefectural museum dedicated to lacquer art from Japan and abroad.
Wajima Kiriko Art Museum
輪島キリコ会館Wajima Kiriko Kaikan
Hall displaying the giant kiriko lantern floats of Noto's festivals.
Asaichi-dōri
朝市通りAsaichi-dōri
Street of the morning market, a tradition of centuries; the area was largely destroyed by fire in the 2024 earthquake.
Kami-Tokikuni Residence
上時国家Kami-Tokikuni-ke
Grand thatched farmhouse of a family descended from the Taira, an Important Cultural Property.

Districts

Central Wajima
輪島Wajima
The old port town on the Kawarada River with lacquer workshops and shops.
Monzen
門前Monzen
Temple town of Sōji-ji Soin and the rugged Noto-Kongō coast.
Nafune
名舟Nafune
Fishing village of the masked Gojinjō-daiko drummers.
Machino
町野Machino
Rural district in the east with the Tokikuni family houses.
Hegura-jima
舳倉島Hegura-jima
Small island about 50 km offshore, base of the ama women divers.

History

Wajima has been a port since at least the medieval period, when it was counted among the important harbours of the Sea of Japan coast. The Zen master Keizan Jōkin founded Sōji-ji at Monzen in 1321, and it became one of the two head temples of the Sōtō school. The oldest surviving example of Wajima lacquer, a shrine door dated 1524, shows that the craft was established by the sixteenth century; in the Edo period it spread nationwide through travelling merchants.

After Sōji-ji burned in 1898, its head temple moved to Yokohama in 1911, and the Monzen site continued as Sōji-ji Soin. Wajima became a city in 1954 and merged with Monzen in 2006. The area was damaged by the Noto Hantō earthquake of 2007 and devastated by the earthquake of 2024.

1321
Keizan Jōkin founds Sōji-ji at Monzen.
1524
Date of the oldest surviving Wajima lacquer, a door at Shigezō Shrine.
1898
Fire destroys most of Sōji-ji; its head temple later moves to Yokohama.
1954
Wajima is incorporated as a city.
1977
Wajima-nuri is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property.
2001
The Shiroyone Senmaida are designated a Place of Scenic Beauty; the railway to Wajima closes.
2003
Noto Satoyama Airport opens.
2006
Wajima merges with the town of Monzen.
2007
The Noto Hantō earthquake damages the Monzen area.
2024
The Noto Peninsula earthquake of 1 January causes heavy loss of life and destruction; floods follow in September.

Culture

Wajima's culture revolves around lacquer and the sea. The city was home to a dense network of lacquer workshops, each specialising in one stage of production, from turning the wooden base to the final polishing and gold decoration. Its summer festivals bring out the kiriko, tall illuminated lantern floats, and the masked drummers of Gojinjō-daiko perform a tradition said to date from the sixteenth century. The ama divers of Wajima and Hegura-jima gather abalone and seaweed by free diving.

Festivals

Wajima Taisai
輪島大祭Wajima Taisai
From 22 to 25 August, the festivals of Wajima's four shrines with kiriko lanterns, portable shrines and fire rites.
Nafune Taisai and Gojinjō-daiko
名舟大祭Nafune Taisai
Summer festival of Nafune at which the masked Gojinjō-daiko drummers perform.
Aenokoto
あえのことaenokoto
Household rice-field ritual in December and February, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Food

Abalone and turban shell
アワビawabi
Shellfish gathered by the ama divers of Wajima and Hegura-jima.
Ishiru hotpot
いしる鍋ishiru nabe
Seafood and vegetables simmered in Noto fish sauce.
Yubeshi
柚餅子yubeshi
Hollowed yuzu citrus filled with sweet rice-flour paste and dried, a local confection.
Noto beef
能登牛Noto-ushi
Wagyu raised on the peninsula.

Getting around

There is no railway; Noto Satoyama Airport, with flights to Tokyo Haneda, lies about 20 minutes south of the city.
Express buses run between Kanazawa and Wajima in a little over two hours on the Noto Satoyama Kaidō expressway.
A car is the most practical way to reach Senmaida, Monzen and the coast; local bus services are limited.
After the 2024 earthquake and floods, road and transport conditions have changed repeatedly; visitors should check official information from the city and Ishikawa Prefecture before travelling.

Day trips

Suzu and the tip of Noto
珠洲Suzu
The easternmost city of the peninsula, known for agehama salt-making and Suzu ware.
Noto-Kongō coast
能登金剛Noto Kongō
Rocky coast of sea caves and stacks south-west of Monzen.
Wakura onsen
和倉温泉Wakura onsen
Seaside hot-spring town on Nanao Bay.
Kanazawa
金沢Kanazawa
Prefectural capital and the main gateway to Noto.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalKanazawaKanazawa-shiThe Maeda family's city of gardens, tea houses and crafts CityKagaKaga-shiHot springs, porcelain and lacquer in southern Kaga

Frequently asked questions

What is Wajima-nuri?

Lacquerware from Wajima made in more than a hundred steps, with ground layers strengthened by jinoko, a local diatomaceous-earth powder; it is prized for its durability.

How was Wajima affected by the 2024 Noto earthquake?

Wajima recorded the maximum intensity of 7 on 1 January 2024; many residents died, buildings collapsed, a large fire destroyed the morning-market area and the coast was uplifted. Floods in September 2024 added further damage.

What is the Shiroyone Senmaida?

A hillside of more than a thousand small terraced rice paddies above the sea, farmed partly by volunteers and owners' groups, and a national Place of Scenic Beauty.

How do I get to Wajima?

By express bus from Kanazawa or by air to Noto Satoyama Airport; check official information on conditions before travelling.

Sources

1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
2.輪島市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 輪島市
3.気象庁 (opens in a new tab) — Japan Meteorological Agency
4.石川県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 石川県