The white plaster that covers the traditional walls in Japan is called shikkui, and it was made for more than a thousand years. Made only with natural ingredients, with high quality powder of hydrated lime (high on calcium), natural plant fiber, egg shell powder and seaweed, the shikkui plaster was used for the finishing of castle walls, temples, and houses, both inside and outside.

Besides looking good, it is also resistant, protecting the walls against erosion for about 20 years. Photographed here is a beautiful street lined by shikkui plaster walls in Hagi-jō jōkamachi, the castle town of Hagi, in the Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Hagi-jo Jokamachi, Hagi, Yamaguchi

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Shintokudo, the old samurai school of Obi