Report on Living National Treasures Designation Submitted

On July 16, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Chair: NISHIHARA Suzuko) submitted a report on five people to be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) to KAWABATA Tatsuo, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The List includes KATŌ Kōzō for his setoguro; TSUCHIYA Yoshinori for his monsha; FUTATSUKA Osamu for his yūzen; NAKANO Kōichi for his makie; and TAMAGAWA Norio for his tankin. This marked the first designation for artists who create monsha. It thus brings the total number of Living National Treasures to 116 individuals, with 58 in each of the performing arts and traditional crafts (kōgei). (Japanese)