CACL's KAKERA Creates Art Object for New Fukushima Hotel, Symbolizing Reconstruction Solidarity with Ceramic Fragments from Two Earthquakes
KAKERA, a material brand by CACL Co., Ltd. of Nomi, Ishikawa, has created the main entrance art object, "Between Us," for the retreat hotel "FUTATABI FUTABA FUKUSHIMA," scheduled to open on June 1 in Futaba, Fukushima. The piece was made using a combination of ceramic fragments from Fukushima's "Obori Soma ware," affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and Ishikawa's "Kutani ware," damaged in the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. By regenerating and fusing these "fragments" born from different disasters, the artwork symbolizes hope for the region's future and the resilience of people supporting each other through hardship.
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- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 17:00
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KAKERA, a material brand from CACL Co., Ltd. (Nomi, Ishikawa; CEO: Junichi Okuyama), was commissioned to create a main art object for the entrance of the retreat hotel "FUTATABI FUTABA FUKUSHIMA." The hotel, managed by Daiwa LifeNext Co., Ltd. of the Daiwa House Group, is set to open on June 1 in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture.
The "FUTATABI FUTABA FUKUSHIMA" hotel features the region's largest banquet and conference rooms, a spa, a library with over 2,000 books, and a restaurant serving local cuisine.
## Background of the Artwork
The object incorporates ceramic fragments from "Obori Soma ware," a traditional craft originating from Namie, Fukushima. With the cooperation of two kilns, Matsunaga-gama and Haruyama-gama, which were forced to evacuate after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, fragments recovered from the site were used. Additionally, the piece combines ceramic shards from Ishikawa's "Kutani ware," a traditional craft damaged in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and white Japanese paper infused with Wajima lacquer. This composition represents the "figure of people" living in mutual support. By utilizing things that were broken or would not have existed without the disasters, the work gives them new value and embodies a wish for a hopeful future for Futaba.
## Artwork Overview: Between Us
The piece is composed of multiple pillars rising in mutual support, using ceramic shards and memories of the land born from disaster. The support structure was co-produced with the assistance of rootive, a company that designs and manufactures wood products. The fragments of different shapes symbolize the people living in the town, the relationship between past and future, and between division and rebirth. It gives form to the invisible connections that exist "between" people, land, and memory.
## Comment from the CEO (Junichi Okuyama, CACL)
"Japan has long been a country that lives with the tremors of the earth. Faced with the power of nature that we cannot resist or blame, people have felt a presence larger than themselves. Earthquakes can change everyday scenery and values in an instant. However, they can also become a catalyst for questioning the status quo and for new relationships and cultures to emerge. We want to continue our creative expression by carefully engaging with each event, shaping the connections and possibilities that arise, and weaving them into the future."
## About CACL
Based in Nomi, Ishikawa, CACL Co., Ltd. operates a business that aims to solve two social issues simultaneously: the shortage of successors for traditional crafts and the limited employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The company has been creating art pieces and products from ceramic fragments.
Following the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, CACL launched the "Stand with NOTO" project to support recovery efforts, including setting up temporary workshops for Wajima lacquer artisans. The company also initiated the "Rediscover project," an advanced art project that combines damaged Kutani and Suzu ware fragments with Wajima lacquer techniques, exhibiting a work at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. In July 2025, it established "KAKERA" as an experimental brand to redefine the value of traditional crafts that might otherwise be discarded. CACL has also launched joint projects with Parfums Givenchy, LIXIL, and Yuko Nagayama & Associates.
The "FUTATABI FUTABA FUKUSHIMA" hotel features the region's largest banquet and conference rooms, a spa, a library with over 2,000 books, and a restaurant serving local cuisine.
## Background of the Artwork
The object incorporates ceramic fragments from "Obori Soma ware," a traditional craft originating from Namie, Fukushima. With the cooperation of two kilns, Matsunaga-gama and Haruyama-gama, which were forced to evacuate after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, fragments recovered from the site were used. Additionally, the piece combines ceramic shards from Ishikawa's "Kutani ware," a traditional craft damaged in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and white Japanese paper infused with Wajima lacquer. This composition represents the "figure of people" living in mutual support. By utilizing things that were broken or would not have existed without the disasters, the work gives them new value and embodies a wish for a hopeful future for Futaba.
## Artwork Overview: Between Us
The piece is composed of multiple pillars rising in mutual support, using ceramic shards and memories of the land born from disaster. The support structure was co-produced with the assistance of rootive, a company that designs and manufactures wood products. The fragments of different shapes symbolize the people living in the town, the relationship between past and future, and between division and rebirth. It gives form to the invisible connections that exist "between" people, land, and memory.
## Comment from the CEO (Junichi Okuyama, CACL)
"Japan has long been a country that lives with the tremors of the earth. Faced with the power of nature that we cannot resist or blame, people have felt a presence larger than themselves. Earthquakes can change everyday scenery and values in an instant. However, they can also become a catalyst for questioning the status quo and for new relationships and cultures to emerge. We want to continue our creative expression by carefully engaging with each event, shaping the connections and possibilities that arise, and weaving them into the future."
## About CACL
Based in Nomi, Ishikawa, CACL Co., Ltd. operates a business that aims to solve two social issues simultaneously: the shortage of successors for traditional crafts and the limited employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The company has been creating art pieces and products from ceramic fragments.
Following the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, CACL launched the "Stand with NOTO" project to support recovery efforts, including setting up temporary workshops for Wajima lacquer artisans. The company also initiated the "Rediscover project," an advanced art project that combines damaged Kutani and Suzu ware fragments with Wajima lacquer techniques, exhibiting a work at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. In July 2025, it established "KAKERA" as an experimental brand to redefine the value of traditional crafts that might otherwise be discarded. CACL has also launched joint projects with Parfums Givenchy, LIXIL, and Yuko Nagayama & Associates.