Discover — and Even Meet — Living Legends

The history of art and excellence in Ishikawa has not yet finished being written.

Back in the day of the samurai, the area was ruled by the wealthy Maeda family, whose generous patronage turned Ishikawa into the thriving hub of arts and culture that it remains today. Even now, numerous artists live and work in Ishikawa, as inheritors of this unique historic background.

Take, for example, Minori Yoshita, head of the Kinzan Kiln. He has been named a Living National Treasure for his work to develop an innovative new decorative technique for Kutani Ware ceramics using gold leaf, and younger generations of his family have both inherited his techniques, and taken steps to adapt their products to better fit everyday life in the 21st century.

Or take Naohiko Noguchi, who earned the nickname “the god of sake brewing” over the course of a long and illustrious career; he came out of retirement in 2017 to open his “sake institute.” Even into his nineties, he continues to explore the possibilities inherent to sake, his artistic medium of choice, with a youthful zeal, and visitors can experience the fruits of his labor in the beautiful tasting room.

Perhaps you might even find yourself sitting down with the descendant of a samurai family, to hear stories passed down for generations, and perhaps even see swords that saw battle hundreds of years ago.

Personal encounters with people like these offer a human touch that mere sightseeing cannot. These moments serve as a glimpse into the depths of time and interpersonal connections that made the present what it is, leaving memories that last long beyond the end of the journey.