What is a plasterer?

A craftsman who specializes in painting building walls, floors, and excavations with a trowel.

The term "sakan" comes from the fact that under the Ritsuryo system of the Heian period, a "sakan" was someone who was considered a wall plasterer, and came to be written as "shakan" or "shakan."

Its origins date back to the Jomon period. It is said that construction began when raw soil was rolled into balls and piled up to create a moat. In the Edo period, a construction method called plaster finishing, in which the entire wall is covered in plaster, became widespread. Plaster dramatically improves the fire resistance of buildings, and absorbs carbon dioxide during the hardening process when the slaked lime in the plaster turns into limestone, making the indoor environment more comfortable.

In 2020, it was registered as an intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as "Traditional Craftsmanship of Traditional Architecture: Traditional Techniques for Preserving Wooden Buildings."