The universal value of cultural properties that have been carefully preserved by local communities should be recognized once again.
The Cultural Affairs Agency has newly designated 13 aspects of Japanese culture and traditions as Japan Heritage. The newly designated cultural assets include a safflower-linked cultural heritage supported by a mountain temple in Yamagata Prefecture. The new additions have increased the total number of such designations to 67.
With the main purpose of revitalizing local communities, the agency began the designation system in 2015. Rather than individually designating buildings and the like as national treasures or important cultural assets, the agency recognizes areas that share a common cultural connection. The things designated include structures, remains, places of scenic beauty and festivals.
Even if it might be difficult to understand the importance of certain things when they are looked at as individual cultural properties, their historical value can be effectively conveyed to people when several constituent assets are linked together to form a single story.
Before a modern educational system was introduced in the Meiji era and later, clan schools and private schools were established in feudal domains, helping to enhance the abilities in reading, writing and so forth of the samurai class as well as commoners.
The great role they had can be appreciated by making a tour of these places. "The educational heritage of early-modern Japan," which includes Kodokan, a former clan school of Mito, and other schools, is one such Japanese cultural asset.
Such properties will also help local residents take pride in the culture that has taken root locally.
Effective promotion needed
There are many local governments seeking to have their local culture and traditions recognized as Japan Heritage. Such calls probably stem from their expectation of an increase in the number of tourists visiting their areas, but Japan Heritage designations have not necessarily drawn more visitors. It has been pointed out that 70 percent of the sites designated as Japan Heritage have things to be improved, such as services to visitors.
In the first place, the name recognition of Japan Heritage itself remains low. The agency and local governments concerned should widely disseminate the charm of such properties, while improving their readiness to receive visitors.
In Lake Biwa and its surroundings, for example, religious faith related to water spread with people in bygone days likening the lake to the Pure Land. The designation composed of temples and shrines that were worshipped by people in the areas is titled "Lake Biwa and its surroundings."
After it was designated in 2015, local communities and travel agencies cooperated to conduct sightseeing tours around temples and shrines. Thanks to such efforts, the number of holidaymakers to the areas soared. This is one of the successful tourism promotion campaigns.
Needless to say, it would be like putting the cart before the horse if a local community, wrapped up in making its area into a tourist spot, ends up damaging the value of the cultural assets that it should hand down to the next generation. The important thing is to maintain a balance between the preservation of cultural assets and their utilization.
The revised Cultural Properties Protection Law was passed at a plenary session of the House of Councillors on Friday, urging local municipalities of cities, towns and villages to draw up plans to utilize their cultural assets. For local governments, it is vital to foster the human resources needed to promote the appropriate utilization of Japan Heritage and the like.
Many people would visit the sites recognized as cultural properties to experience them, and the revenue generated would be used for their preservation to maintain their value. Such a virtuous cycle should be created.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 4, 2018)
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