Rediscover project led by CACL Co., Ltd. featured on NHK BS "Tsubo ni Bi"
CACL Co., Ltd.'s Rediscover project, which regenerates pottery damaged by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake using Kintsugi techniques, was featured on NHK BS "Tsubo ni Bi" and is gaining attention domestically and internationally. Its exhibition history at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, is also highlighted, demonstrating its social contribution and artistic value creation through traditional crafts.
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On Saturday, April 25, 2026, CACL's initiative, the Rediscover project, was featured on NHK BS "Tsubo ni Bi Special: 20th Anniversary." The program showcased the process of selecting fragments from approximately 5 tons of pottery pieces, entrusted to them after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024, at a warehouse storing pieces from various kilns. Guided by Robert Campbell, this provided an opportunity to widely publicize the artwork creation process.
The Rediscover project reconstructs "substandard" waste materials as artworks – utilizing pottery fragments generated by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
Connecting pottery fragments using Noto's Kintsugi technique – this is the central axis of the Rediscover project. In the creation of artworks, diverse and sometimes irregular pottery fragments from various kilns within Ishikawa Prefecture, such as Kutani ware and Suzu ware, which differ in origin and technique, are joined using a technique called "Yobitsugi." Alternatively, the sharp edges of broken parts are softened with lacquer, presenting them almost in their original form. Broken vessels, vases, useless fragments. Things that were destined for disposal are reborn in completely different forms, or they rise again in an imperfect state, with their damaged parts intact. These pottery fragments, joined with gold or colored lacquer and restored to a new brilliance, have garnered empathy and resonance over the past two years, leading to numerous exhibition opportunities both domestically and internationally.
After two exhibitions at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa – The journey and future of the Rediscover project.
In 2024, Ms. Yuko Hasegawa, former director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and her curatorial team visited the studio in Nomi City. They recognized not only the post-disaster efforts but also the aesthetic value and significance of joining fragments with lacquer as artworks. Being featured in the museum's large-scale 20th-anniversary exhibition marked a significant milestone for the Rediscover project. In "Dancing with All Things - Empathy Ecology" (November 2024 - March 2025), which brought together approximately 60 artists from over 10 countries and regions worldwide, the project participated as an exhibiting artist. It presented a composition of pottery fragments resting on the ground as one of the insightful perspectives on a "new ecology (ecosystem)," where various elements such as living organisms, environment, and nature intertwine beyond human boundaries.
Furthermore, in September 2025, Eishin Keizuka, a Wajima lacquer artist from the Rediscover project, once again collaborated with Otobong Nkanga for her solo exhibition "Shaped by Many" at the same museum. A performance involving Keizuka was also held during the exhibition period. This provided an opportunity for the Rediscover project to evolve into a broader context on the grand stage of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, which connects art and society.
CACL's initiative to discover new value in pottery fragments deemed "substandard" has, since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, strengthened its belief in connecting the time and memories associated with these fragments, starting with collaborative work with artisans in the affected areas. The waste materials we look at also overlap with the figures of people and things that have been excluded from society's "normal" and made invisible due to accidents or environmental influences, not just disasters.
The Rediscover project, which has itself developed through its encounter with "others" like lacquer, continues its further expansion as a collective that challenges alternative expressions of pottery fragments through traditional craft techniques and questions their artistic value to the world. The team includes Kaori Okuyama (design), Eishin Keizuka (Wajima lacquer artist), and one additional lacquer artist who joined in April this year.
NHK BS "Tsubo ni Bi 20th Anniversary Special" broadcast on Saturday, April 25.
The program can be viewed on NHK On Demand and U-NEXT.
* "Tsubo ni Bi" is a long-running program that has highlighted the beauty of Japanese aesthetics and the charm of craftsmanship embedded in daily life. The special episode on Saturday, April 25, marked the program's 20th anniversary. During the program, Robert Campbell visited CACL's studio and gallery in Nomi City, and the process of transforming pottery fragments into new artworks was introduced.
CACL Co., Ltd. Company Profile
Company Name: CACL Co., Ltd.
Official Website: https://cacl.jp/
Location: 56 Ri, Tatsunokuchi-machi, Nomi-shi, Ishikawa 923-1245, Japan
Representative: Junichi Okuyama
Established: June 1, Reiwa 5 (2023)
Tel: 0761-48-8004
CACL conducts various expressive activities with three pillars: Art (Rediscover project), Material Recycling (KAKERA), and Social Work (Welfare business).
The Rediscover project reconstructs "substandard" waste materials as artworks – utilizing pottery fragments generated by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
Connecting pottery fragments using Noto's Kintsugi technique – this is the central axis of the Rediscover project. In the creation of artworks, diverse and sometimes irregular pottery fragments from various kilns within Ishikawa Prefecture, such as Kutani ware and Suzu ware, which differ in origin and technique, are joined using a technique called "Yobitsugi." Alternatively, the sharp edges of broken parts are softened with lacquer, presenting them almost in their original form. Broken vessels, vases, useless fragments. Things that were destined for disposal are reborn in completely different forms, or they rise again in an imperfect state, with their damaged parts intact. These pottery fragments, joined with gold or colored lacquer and restored to a new brilliance, have garnered empathy and resonance over the past two years, leading to numerous exhibition opportunities both domestically and internationally.
After two exhibitions at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa – The journey and future of the Rediscover project.
In 2024, Ms. Yuko Hasegawa, former director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and her curatorial team visited the studio in Nomi City. They recognized not only the post-disaster efforts but also the aesthetic value and significance of joining fragments with lacquer as artworks. Being featured in the museum's large-scale 20th-anniversary exhibition marked a significant milestone for the Rediscover project. In "Dancing with All Things - Empathy Ecology" (November 2024 - March 2025), which brought together approximately 60 artists from over 10 countries and regions worldwide, the project participated as an exhibiting artist. It presented a composition of pottery fragments resting on the ground as one of the insightful perspectives on a "new ecology (ecosystem)," where various elements such as living organisms, environment, and nature intertwine beyond human boundaries.
Furthermore, in September 2025, Eishin Keizuka, a Wajima lacquer artist from the Rediscover project, once again collaborated with Otobong Nkanga for her solo exhibition "Shaped by Many" at the same museum. A performance involving Keizuka was also held during the exhibition period. This provided an opportunity for the Rediscover project to evolve into a broader context on the grand stage of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, which connects art and society.
CACL's initiative to discover new value in pottery fragments deemed "substandard" has, since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, strengthened its belief in connecting the time and memories associated with these fragments, starting with collaborative work with artisans in the affected areas. The waste materials we look at also overlap with the figures of people and things that have been excluded from society's "normal" and made invisible due to accidents or environmental influences, not just disasters.
The Rediscover project, which has itself developed through its encounter with "others" like lacquer, continues its further expansion as a collective that challenges alternative expressions of pottery fragments through traditional craft techniques and questions their artistic value to the world. The team includes Kaori Okuyama (design), Eishin Keizuka (Wajima lacquer artist), and one additional lacquer artist who joined in April this year.
NHK BS "Tsubo ni Bi 20th Anniversary Special" broadcast on Saturday, April 25.
The program can be viewed on NHK On Demand and U-NEXT.
* "Tsubo ni Bi" is a long-running program that has highlighted the beauty of Japanese aesthetics and the charm of craftsmanship embedded in daily life. The special episode on Saturday, April 25, marked the program's 20th anniversary. During the program, Robert Campbell visited CACL's studio and gallery in Nomi City, and the process of transforming pottery fragments into new artworks was introduced.
CACL Co., Ltd. Company Profile
Company Name: CACL Co., Ltd.
Official Website: https://cacl.jp/
Location: 56 Ri, Tatsunokuchi-machi, Nomi-shi, Ishikawa 923-1245, Japan
Representative: Junichi Okuyama
Established: June 1, Reiwa 5 (2023)
Tel: 0761-48-8004
CACL conducts various expressive activities with three pillars: Art (Rediscover project), Material Recycling (KAKERA), and Social Work (Welfare business).