ブックタイトル「近代の文化遺産の保存理念と修復理念」英語版

概要

「近代の文化遺産の保存理念と修復理念」英語版

3Japan’s history in the protection of industrial heritage goes back to 1922 (Taisho 11) whenthe Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace (Shizuoka Prefecture) and Hagi Reverberatory Furnace(Yamaguchi Prefecture) were nationally designated as Historic Sites. In the decades from the mid1950s to mid 1970s, structures and sites including Former Shuseikan machinery factory (KagoshimaPrefecture), Former Shinagawa Lighthouse (Aichi Prefecture), Site of Former Shinbashi RailroadStation (Tokyo Prefecture), and Kosuge Slip Dock (Nagasaki Prefecture) came to be designated asnational cultural properties. Additionally, starting in the mid 1970s, the academic field of industrialarcheology was fully introduced, which accelerated the recognition of the current status of industrialheritage as well as revealed demands for establishing systems for their protection as culturalproperties.　From 1990 on, the Comprehensive Survey on Heritage Structures related to JapaneseModernization headed by the Agency for Cultural Affairs was begun and in the quarter of a centurysince then, an overall view of locations and states of preservation have become clear regarding thevarious industrial heritage properties throughout the country, which are essential to people’s dailylives. In 1996, Japan’s National Register system, which greatly enhanced the protection of localindustrial heritage, was begun to complement the cultural property designation system. In recentyears, inscription of Tomioka Silk Mill and “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron andSteel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining” on the World Heritage List, as a result, promoted nationwidere-recognition of industrial heritage properties that once played a nationally significant role. Thus,after approximately one hundred years since the Taisho era (1912-1926), owing to growing effortsparticularly in the past quarter of a century to protect Japan’s industrial heritage, related assets havebecome a dominating presence among Japan’s cultural properties.　As the number of designated and registered cultural properties increase, so do cases of theirrestoration. When faced with restoration of this fairly new group of industrial heritage properties indeteriorated states, distinctive issues that had never been raised earlier in preservation of traditionalcultural properties began to appear. For example, how should structures of steel-frame or concrete,of different nature from the common wood-frame and masonry, be treated for preservation? Theyare often much larger in scale and come in many building types. Also, although they are designatedcultural properties, many are still in operation retaining their original functions. How can they bemanaged and where can we find people who would be capable of undertaking such work?　At our institute, we have continuously dealt with all types of cultural properties, not onlyarchitecture, but also movable properties including ships, airplanes, and locomotives as objects ofour studies for clarifying and solving preservation issues. In 2015, we chose as our annual theme“Principles for Conservation and Restoration of Modern Cultural Heritage Properties” and studieshave been made on this topic. (Here, the word “modern cultural heritage properties” can be read as“industrial heritage properties.”) In fact, it was the first time for us at the institute to focus on an ideaas a research topic in the field of modern cultural heritage; in the past, our studies had been centeredAbout This Publication