KYODO NEWS





 

A U.N. intergovernmental committee decided Thursday to add six items submitted by Japan to three categories already inscribed on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, including traditional festivals and paper-making.

Festivals from the prefectures of Ibaraki, Niigata, Shiga and Toyama, as well as two types of craftsmanship related to handmade paper and tatami mat making, were formally endorsed by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's intergovernmental committee at a meeting in New Delhi.

All six items were recommended for inclusion last month by UNESCO's advisory panel, which noted that they demonstrate cultural diversity and have satisfied safeguarding practices.

 

The Ofune Festival of Hitachi Otsu in Ibaraki, the Murakami Yatai Festival in Niigata, the Hojozu Hachimangu Shrine Hikiyama Tsukiyama Festival in Toyama and the Otsu Hikiyama Festival in Shiga have been added to the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan" list, bringing the total to 37.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing of Echizen "torinoko-shi" handmade paper in Fukui Prefecture has been added to the "Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese handmade paper" category as the fourth item.

 

Crafting handwoven "nakatsugi-omote," a type of aesthetic and durable tatami mat surface, becomes the 18th item on the "Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan."

The government nominated the six items to UNESCO in March 2024. As UNESCO implements an annual review limit of 60 nominations, those from Japan, which makes many submissions, generally undergo review every two years.

 

But since the latest six items were treated as "extensions" of existing heritage-listed categories, they were reviewed this year, outside the biennial review. The number of entries from Japan will also remain unchanged at 23.

Japan has also requested "shodo" calligraphy to be listed as a new Intangible Cultural Heritage entry, with screening by the U.N. body expected in 2026.

 

It has also decided to submit the traditional performing art "kagura" in 2028, and "onsen" hot spring culture in 2030.