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The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the government of Japan designates the most precious of the nation's cultural properties as National Treasures (国宝: kokuhō). Examples of the types of works that receive this designation are
- Structures that are part of castles, temples, shrines
- Paintings, scrolls, sutras, and works of calligraphy
- Statues in stone, bronze, wood, lacquer or other materials
- Crafts, such as pottery, lacquer ware, carvings, metals, netsuke, swords and textiles
- Archeological and historical artifacts, including burial objects, documents, and letters
- People, called "Living National Treasures (人間国宝: ningen kokuhō)"
Many of Japan's national treasures are in museums such as the national museums in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara. The prefectural and city governments also operate public museums, and these and private museums also house national treasures. Many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, castles and similar installations also open their buildings and grounds to the public, and some have museums as well. The Imperial Household of Japan holds many national treasures. Kyoto boasts about one in five national treasures.
Living National Treasure is an informal designation for a person whom the government has recognized as exemplary in carrying on Japanese traditions. Performing artists in genres including noh, bunraku, and kabuki, and artists and artisans in traditional crafts, have received this distinction.
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Former and present national treasures
"National Treasure" has been used since 1897, though the term's pre-1950 and post-1950 significance is different. Japan has the most comprehensive network of legislation for protecting, preserving, and classifying its cultural patrimony.[1]
- 1871: Law for Preservation of Ancient Artifacts.[2]
- 1897: Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law (Koshaji hozon ho).[3]
- 1919: Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monuments Preservation Law.[3]
- 1929: National Treasures Preservation Law.[4]
- 1933: Law Regarding the Preservation of Important Works of Fine Arts.[5]
- 1950: Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[4]
- 1954: Amendments, Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[5]
- 1960: Ancient Capital Law.[6]
- 1968: Amendments, Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[5]
- 1975: Amendments, Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[6]
- 1992: World Heritage Convention.[6]
- 1996: Amendments, Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[5]
- 1999: Amendments, Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[5]
- 2004: Amendments, Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.[7]
- 2006: Law on the Promotion of International Cooperation for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Abroad.[8]
Before 1950, all the state-designated cultural properties were called "National Treasures". At that time, 5,824 art works and 1,059 buildings were so designated. On August 29, 1950, the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties came into force, and all National Treasures became "Important Cultural Properties" (重要文化財: jūyō bunka zai). Some of them have been designated as new "National Treasures" since June 9, 1951.
The number of National Treasures of Japan
The Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan publishes the list of National Treasures and other designated Japanese cultural artifacts at the Database of National Cultural Properties. As of November 1, 2008, there are 862 National Treasures in the arts and crafts category and 214 in the structures category ("structures" here refers to sites; the number of actual buildings is higher). This table shows the number of National Treasures of both types in each prefecture:
| Prefecture | Building Structures | Art Works |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | 0 | 1 |
| Aomori | 0 | 2 |
| Iwate | 1 | 7 |
| Miyagi | 3 | 3 |
| Akita | 0 | 1 |
| Yamagata | 1 | 4 |
| Fukushima | 1 | 2 |
| Ibaraki | 0 | 2 |
| Tochigi | 6 | 10 |
| Gunma | 0 | 0 |
| Saitama | 0 | 3 |
| Chiba | 0 | 8 |
| Tokyo | 1 | 235 |
| Kanagawa | 1 | 17 |
| Niigata | 0 | 1 |
| Toyama | 1 | 0 |
| Ishikawa | 0 | 2 |
| Fukui | 2 | 4 |
| Yamanashi | 2 | 3 |
| Nagano | 5 | 2 |
| Gifu | 3 | 4 |
| Shizuoka | 0 | 11 |
| Aichi | 3 | 6 |
| Mie | 0 | 4 |
| Shiga | 22 | 33 |
| Kyoto | 48 | 205 |
| Osaka | 5 | 56 |
| Hyogo | 11 | 8 |
| Nara | 64 | 139 |
| Wakayama | 7 | 29 |
| Tottori | 1 | 2 |
| Shimane | 2 | 3 |
| Okayama | 2 | 7 |
| Hiroshima | 7 | 12 |
| Yamaguchi | 3 | 6 |
| Tokushima | 0 | 0 |
| Kagawa | 2 | 4 |
| Ehime | 3 | 9 |
| Kochi | 1 | 1 |
| Fukuoka | 0 | 12 |
| Saga | 0 | 0 |
| Nagasaki | 3 | 0 |
| Kumamoto | 1 | 0 |
| Oita | 2 | 2 |
| Miyazaki | 0 | 0 |
| Kagoshima | 0 | 1 |
| Okinawa | 0 | 1 |
| *Total* | 214 | 862 |
Lists
Buildings and structures
All National treasures of the building/structure category are contained in the following lists:
- List of National Treasures of Japan (residences)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (castles)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (temples)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (miscellaneous structures)
Fine Arts and Crafts
Lists of all national treasures in the category Fine and industrial art objects (美術工芸品)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-others)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (historical materials)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (archaeological materials)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
Gallery
 Horyu-ji Yumedono |
 Himeji castle Grand Tower |
 Byodoin Phoenix Hall |
|
 Kiyomizudera temple Main Hall |
 Nijo Castle Ninomaru Palace |
 Itsukushima Shrine Main Hall |
|
 Tōdai-ji temple Golden Hall |
 Yakushi-ji Temple Eastern Pagoda |
 Nikkō Tōshō-gū Yomeimon Gate |
See also
- Lists of National Treasures of Japan
- Ernest Fenollosa (1853–1908), helped draft 1897 Ancient Shrines and Temples Protection Law
- Japanese museums
Notes
- ^ Hickman, Money et al. (2002). Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama, p. 15.
- ^ Coaldrake, William Howard. (1996). Architecture and Authority in Japan, p. 248.
- ^ a b UNESCO: Nara preservation
- ^ a b National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo: Kyoto preservation
- ^ a b c d e Japan, Agency for Cultural Affairs: "History of the Law for the Cultural Properties," pp. 6–7. Cultural Properties for Future Generations, 2007.
- ^ a b c National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo: Urban conservation
- ^ Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): 2004 amendments, protecting cultural properties law
- ^ Japan, Agency for Cultural Affairs: "System for International Cooperation," p. 15. Cultural Properties for Future Generations, 2007.
References
- Coaldrake, William Howard. (1996). Architecture and Authority in Japan. London: Routledge. 10-ISBN 0-415-05754-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-415-05754-7 (cloth); 10-ISBN 0-415-10601-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-415-10601-6 (paper)
- Hickman, Money L., John T Carpenter, and Bruce A Coats. (2002). Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama. New Haven: Yale University Press. 10-ISBN 0-300-06897-2; 13-ISBN 978-0-300-06897-9 (cloth) -- 10-ISBN 0-300-09407-8; 13-ISBN 978-0-300-09407-7 (paper)
- Sickels-Taves, Lauren B. (1999). The Use of and Need for Preservation Standards in Architectural Conservation. West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: ASTM. 10-ISBN 0-803-12606-9; 13-ISBN 978-0-803-12606-0 (cloth)
External links
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