Participation in the 2026 International Forum for Promoting Good Safeguarding Practices of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Mr. ISHIMURA Tomo of our institute participated in the international conference “2026 International Forum for Promoting Good Safeguarding Practices of Intangible Cultural Heritage,” held in Namwon, Republic of Korea. This international conference was organized by Namwon City and the Center for Intangible Culture Studies (CICS) and was held from April 30 to May 1, 2026.
The theme of this conference was “Increasing the Visibility of Good Safeguarding Practices: Rethinking Approaches in the Context of Underrepresented Regions.” The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage includes three lists and registers: the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (Urgent Safeguarding List),” the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Representative List),” and the “Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.” However, the “Register of Good Safeguarding Practices” suffers from low international recognition, and the small number of entries (43 as of 2025) remains a challenge. The purpose of this conference was to discuss measures to enhance its visibility.
Mr. ISHIMURA delivered a presentation titled “Good Safeguarding Practices vs. Representative List: Comparing Two Cases of Traditional Architectural Craftsmanship,” focusing on Japan’s “Traditional Skills, Techniques, and Knowledge for the Conservation and Transmission of Wooden Architecture in Japan” and Germany, Austria, France, Norway, and Switzerland’s “Craft Techniques and Customary Practices of Cathedral Workshops, or Bauhütten, in Europe, know-how, transmission, development of knowledge, and innovation,” noting that while the former is inscribed on the Representative List, the latter is registered as a Good Safeguarding Practice, and reported the results of a comparative analysis of their contents.
Namwon City, where the conference was held, is known as the setting for the story “The Tale of Chunhyang.” Originally a folktale from the Joseon Dynasty, “The Tale of Chunhyang” depicts a love story that transcends social boundaries between the daughter of a gisaeng, a type of traditional female artist and entertainer, and the son of a yangban, a high-ranking nobleman and scholar. It is performed as a piece of the traditional performing art pansori (inscribed on the Representative List) and has also been adapted into novels and films. Namwon City hosts the annual “Chunhyang Festival” to commemorate this story, and on the second day of the conference, participants observed the festivities. The “Chunhyang Festival” began in 1931 and marked its 96th edition this year. During the conference, there was discussion that this festival—which has been organized by citizens for many years—is a worthy example of “Good Safeguarding Practices.”
Although the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices has received little attention in Japan to date, it was felt that this approach should be reconsidered going forward.