Wajima Lacquerware Museum 輪島塗会館

See fine Wajima lacquerware and learn about its production

The Wajima Lacquerware Museum showcases the city’s local style of lacquerware. Wajima is the biggest lacquerware producer in Japan, and Wajima lacquerware is particularly valued for its durability. This made it sought-after household tableware until the turn of the twentieth century. Now, it is most prized for its elegant appearance and appreciated as practical, usable art.

The museum exhibits superb examples of Wajima lacquerware as well as modern and historic tools used in its creation. Displays detail some 124 steps in the process of making Wajima lacquerware, from shaping the wooden base to decoration and final polishing.

A shop on the first floor sells a variety of Wajima lacquerware, including bowls, cups, chopsticks, dishes, and boxes.