Platform Model

Noto was once a crossroads of maritime travel. People came from across Japan, and Zen culture flourished around Sōjiji. As transport shifted toward land routes, however, northern Noto became harder to reach. A major fire destroyed much of the temple complex in 1898, and the head temple relocated in 1911. Earthquakes struck in 2007 and again in 2024. This once-thriving center of Zen is now fighting to sustain its cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, Kanazawa attracts large numbers of visitors and faces the challenge of overtourism.

SHALO connects these two regional challenges through “Made in Noto” textiles produced by Noto’s textile cluster. An encounter with these textiles in Kanazawa can introduce international visitors to Noto’s Zen culture and inspire them to travel farther north. Regional collaboration will create that connection.

Noto has a history of opening participation to achieve a far wider reach. Sōjiji’s rotating abbacy system, rinjūsei, lasted 504 years, from 1366 to 1870; its lineage is said to have reached the 49,766th abbatial succession. Through rinjūsei and the zuise ceremony, many monks became connected to the head temple, and their lineages spread its teachings across Japan. Today, Sōtō Zen has approximately 14,000 temples and 23,000 clergy.

We see this history as an innovation in how a platform works. By opening paths to participation and connecting people through a shared foundation, both reach and value grow.

SHALO aims to become a shared regional platform by bringing together more participants in manufacturing, retail, tourism, and culture. Connecting their networks strengthens the region’s collective reach. Beyond the products themselves, this initiative seeks to sustain and restore Noto’s Zen culture and create a new flow of visitors from Kanazawa to northern Noto.