As peals of laughter echo from the busy workshops above, Nozomi Project founder Sue Takamoto pauses, smiling as she hands me one of the latest pieces in their new jewelry line.
“They’re always laughing about something,” she explains, referring to her small, all-female team of artisans. “They have so much fun together.” In their modest headquarters in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Takamoto and the Nozomi team turn fragments of tsunami-broken pottery into beautiful jewelry. Creating work for those left without in the wake of the disaster, the Nozomi Project is a place filled with memories, but has its eyes set firmly on the future.
“We have the wonderful job of being able to give new life to broken pottery, and this rebirth feels like really important work,” says Emi Katsumata, who’s been with Nozomi — which means hope — since it began in 2012. Passing through the hands of nine women during their transformation, each rescued shard is carefully cut, shaped with grinding tools and mounted before being photographed and delicately wrapped. All unique, the fragments were gathered from beaches, parks and streets in the aftermath of the 2011 triple disaster. Today, stocks are topped up with local donations, including items damaged in the recent aftershocks.