6 Japanese items set for inscription on UNESCO heritage list
TOKYO -- Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency said Tuesday that an evaluation body of UNESCO has recommended six items from the country, including float festivals, for inscription on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
A woman making Echizen Torinoko fiber paper in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Agency
Their registration is expected to be formalized at a meeting of an intergovernmental committee in India next month. This would mark the first registration of a Japanese intangible asset since traditional Japanese sake brewing was added to the UNESCO list in 2024.
The six items were recommended as extended nominations for the three already-inscribed Japanese intangible heritage categories--'washi,' 'yama, hoko, yatai, float festivals' and 'traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture.'
Therefore, the number of Japanese items on the UNESCO list will remain unchanged at 23.
Ofune Festival of Hitachi Otsu in Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Agency
Of the six, Japan proposed 'Echizen Torinoko-type handmade ganpi fiber paper' in the city of Echizen in the central prefecture of Fukui for the washi category, and the techniques of crafting handwoven 'Nakatsugi-omote' for tatami mats in the traditional architectural skills and techniques category.
Murakami Festival in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Agency
The other four were proposed for the festivals category--Ofune Festival of Hitachi Otsu in the city of Kitaibaraki in the eastern prefecture of Ibaraki, Murakami Festival in the city of Murakami in the central prefecture of Niigata, Hojozu Hachimangu Shrine Hikiyama Tsukiyama Festival in the city of Imizu in Toyama Prefecture, also central Japan, and Otsu Hikiyama Festival in the city of Otsu in the western prefecture of Shiga.
A man making Nakatsugi-omote used for tatami mats. Photo: Courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Agency
Japan has a large number of registered assets, and screening for the country is conducted once every two years, in principle.
However, extended nominations had been excluded from the rule.
Japan has proposed the inscription of 'shodo' calligraphy on the intangible heritage list.
UNESCO is expected to decide whether to register it around autumn 2026.
Otsu Hikiyama Festival in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Agency
Hojozu Hachimangu Shrine Hikiyama Tsukiyama Festival in Imizu, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Courtesy of the Cultural Affairs Agency
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