Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area

There are around 48 Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area, in Nara Prefecture. Several date from the late 7th or early 8th century, making them some of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in the world. These masterpieces of wooden architecture are important not only for the history of art, since they illustrate the adaptation of Chinese Buddhist architecture and layout to Japanese culture, but also for the history of religion, since their construction coincided with the introduction of Buddhism to Japan from China by way of the Korean peninsula.

 Japan

Nara Prefecture

N34 37 0 E135 43 60

Date of Inscription: 1993

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 15.03 ha

Buffer zone: 571 ha

Ref: 660

Source: https://whc.unesco.org

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. During this period the framework of national government was consolidated and Nara enjoyed great prosperity, emerging as the fountainhead of Japanese culture. The city's historic monuments – Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and the excavated remains of the great Imperial Palace – provide a vivid picture of life in the Japanese capital in the 8th century, a period of profound political and cultural change.

 Japan

Nara Prefecture

N34 40 32 E135 50 22

Date of Inscription: 1998

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 617 ha

Buffer zone: 1,962.5 ha

Ref: 870

Source: https://whc.unesco.org

Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

Former Glover House 

The site encompasses a series of twenty three component parts, mainly located in the southwest of Japan. It bears testimony to the rapid industrialization of the country from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century, through the development of the steel industry, shipbuilding and coal mining. The site illustrates the process by which feudal Japan sought technology transfer from Europe and America from the middle of the 19th century and how this technology was adapted to the country’s needs and social traditions. The site testifies to what is considered to be the first successful transfer of Western industrialization to a non-Western nation.

• Yamaguchi: Hagi
• Hagi reverberatory furnace 
• Ebisugahana shipyard
• Ōitayama-tatara iron smelting works
• Shōkasonjuku Academy
• Hagi castle town
• Kagoshima: Kagoshima
• Former Shūseikan
• Shūseikan machine factory 
• Former Kagoshima spinning engineer's residence
• Gionnosu Battery
• Saga: Saga
• Mietsu naval facility site
• Iwate: Kamaishi
• Hashino iron mining and smelting site
• Nagasaki: Nagasaki
• Site of Kosuge ship repair dock
• Hokkei well shaft, Takashima coal mine 
• Hashima coal mine
• Former Glover House 
• Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyard 
• Yamaguchi: Shimonoseki
• Maeda Battery
• Mutsurejima Lighthouse
• Fukuoka: Ōmuta; Kumamoto: Arao, Uki
• Miyanohara Pit, Miike coal mine
• Miike port and coal mine industrial railway
• Misumi West Port
• Fukuoka: Kitakyūshū
• The State-owned Yawata Steel Works
• Onga River pumping station 

 Japan

N34 25 50 E131 24 44

Date of Inscription: 2015

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 307 ha 

Buffer zone: 2,408 ha

Ref: 1484

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu

Shuri Castle Site

Five hundred years of Ryukyuan history (12th-17th century) are represented by this group of sites and monuments. The ruins of the castles, on imposing elevated sites, are evidence for the social structure over much of that period, while the sacred sites provide mute testimony to the rare survival of an ancient form of religion into the modern age. The wide- ranging economic and cultural contacts of the Ryukyu Islands over that period gave rise to a unique culture.

• Tamaudun
• Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon
• Nakijin Castle Site 
• Zakimi Castle Site
• Katsuren Castle Site
• Nakagusuku Castle Site
• Shuri Castle Site
• Shikinaen
• Sefa-utaki

 Japan

Okinawa Prefecture

N26 12 31 E127 40 58

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(vi)

Property : 55 ha 

Buffer zone: 560 ha

Ref: 972

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land

Chūson-ji

Hiraizumi - Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land comprises five sites, including the sacred Mount Kinkeisan. It features vestiges of government offices dating from the 11th and 12th centuries when Hiraizumi was the administrative centre of the northern realm of Japan and rivalled Kyoto. The realm was based on the cosmology of Pure Land Buddhism, which spread to Japan in the 8th century. It represented the pure land of Buddha that people aspire to after death, as well as peace of mind in this life. In combination with indigenous Japanese nature worship and Shintoism, Pure Land Buddhism developed a concept of planning and garden design that was unique to Japan.

• Chūsonji keidai
• Mōtsūji keidai
• Kanjizaiōin ato
• Muryōkōin ato
• Kinkeizan

 Japan

N39 0 4 E141 6 28

Date of Inscription: 2011

Criteria: (ii)(vi)

Property : 176 ha 

Buffer zone: 6,008 ha

Ref: 1277rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range

Set in the dense forests of the Kii Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, three sacred sites – Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan – linked by pilgrimage routes to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, reflect the fusion of Shinto, rooted in the ancient tradition of nature worship in Japan, and Buddhism, which was introduced from China and the Korean Peninsula. The sites (495.3 ha) and their surrounding forest landscape reflect a persistent and extraordinarily well-documented tradition of sacred mountains over 1,200 years. The area, with its abundance of streams, rivers and waterfalls, is still part of the living culture of Japan and is much visited for ritual purposes and hiking, with up to 15 million visitors annually. Each of the three sites contains shrines, some of which were founded as early as the 9th century.

Japan

Mie, Nara and Wakayama Prefectures

N33 50 13 E135 46 35

Date of Inscription: 2004

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 495 ha

Buffer zone: 1,137 ha

Ref: 1142

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Ogasawara Islands

 

The property numbers more than 30 islands clustered in three groups and covers surface area of 7,939 hectares. The islands offer a variety of landscapes and are home to a wealth of fauna, including the Bonin Flying Fox, a critically endangered bat, and 195 endangered bird species. Four-hundred and forty-one native plant taxa have been documented on the islands whose waters support numerous species of fish, cetaceans and corals. Ogasawara Islands' ecosystems reflect a range of evolutionary processes illustrated through its assemblage of plant species from both southeast and northwest Asia, alongside many endemic species.

Japan

N27 43 6 E142 5 59

Date of Inscription: 2011

Criteria: (ix)

Property : 7,939 ha

Ref: 1362

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

The shrines and temples of Nikko, together with their natural surroundings, have for centuries been a sacred site known for its architectural and decorative masterpieces. They are closely associated with the history of the Tokugawa Shoguns.

 Japan

Tochigi Prefecture

N36 44 51 E139 36 38

Date of Inscription: 1999

Criteria: (i)(iv)(vi)

Property : 51 ha 

Buffer zone: 373 ha

Ref: 913

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

The island of Itsukushima, in the Seto inland sea, has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. The first shrine buildings here were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the 12th century and the harmoniously arranged buildings reveal great artistic and technical skill. The shrine plays on the contrasts in colour and form between mountains and sea and illustrates the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, which combines nature and human creativity.

Japan

Hiroshima Prefecture

N34 17 39.9 E132 19 28.7

Date of Inscription: 1996

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 431 ha

Buffer zone: 2,634 ha

Ref: 776

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

Built in A.D. 794 on the model of the capitals of ancient China, Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan from its foundation until the middle of the 19th century. As the centre of Japanese culture for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto illustrates the development of Japanese wooden architecture, particularly religious architecture, and the art of Japanese gardens, which has influenced landscape gardening the world over.

Japan

Kyoto and Shiga prefectures

N34 58 50 E135 46 10

Date of Inscription: 1994

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 1,056 ha

Buffer zone: 3,579 ha

Ref: 688

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Yakushima

Brief Description

Located in the interior of Yaku Island, at the meeting-point of the palaearctic and oriental biotic regions, Yakushima exhibits a rich flora, with some 1,900 species and subspecies, including ancient specimens of the sugi (Japanese cedar). It also contains a remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest that is unique in this region.

Japan

Kamiyaku-cho and Yaku-cho, Kumage-gun Kagoshima Prefecture

N30 19 60 E130 31 60

Date of Inscription: 1993

Criteria: (vii)(ix)

Property : 10,747 ha

Ref: 662

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Shiretoko

Brief Description

Shiretoko Peninsula is located in the north-east of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. The site includes the land from the central part of the peninsula to its tip (Shiretoko Cape) and the surrounding marine area. It provides an outstanding example of the interaction of marine and terrestrial ecosystems as well as extraordinary ecosystem productivity, largely influenced by the formation of seasonal sea ice at the lowest latitude in the northern hemisphere. It has particular importance for a number of marine and terrestrial species, some of them endangered and endemic, such as Blackiston’s fish owl and the Viola kitamiana plant. The site is globally important for threatened seabirds and migratory birds, a number of salmonid species, and for marine mammals including Steller’s sea lion and some cetacean species.

Japan

Hokkaido prefecture

N43 56 57.984 E144 57 56.988

Date of Inscription: 2005

Criteria: (ix)(x)

Property : 71,100 ha

Ref: 1193

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Brief Description

Located in a mountainous region that was cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time, these villages with their Gassho-style houses subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. The large houses with their steeply pitched thatched roofs are the only examples of their kind in Japan. Despite economic upheavals, the villages of Ogimachi, Ainokura and Suganuma are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people's social and economic circumstances.

Japan

Gifu and Toyama prefectures

N36 23 60 E136 52 60

Date of Inscription: 1995

Criteria: (iv)(v)

Property : 68 ha

Buffer zone: 58,873 ha

Ref: 734

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Shirakami-Sanchi

 Brief Description

Situated in the mountains of northern Honshu, this trackless site includes the last virgin remains of the cool-temperate forest of Siebold's beech trees that once covered the hills and mountain slopes of northern Japan. The black bear, the serow and 87 species of birds can be found in this forest.

Japan

Ajigasawa-machi, Nishitsugaru-gun, Aomori Prefecture; Fukaura-machi, Nishitsugaru-gun, Aomori Prefecture; Iwasaki-mura, Nishitsugaru-gun, Aomori Prefecture; Fujisato-machi, Yamamoto-gun, Akita Prefecture

N40 28 12 E140 7 48

Date of Inscription: 1993

Criteria: (ix)

Property : 16,971 ha

Ref: 663

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration

Brief Description

The beauty of the solitary, often snow-capped, stratovolcano, known around the world as Mount Fuji, rising above villages and tree-fringed sea and lakes has long inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimages. Its representation in Japanese art goes back to the 11th century but 19th century wood block prints have made Fujisan become an internationally recognized icon of Japan and have had a deep impact on the development of Western art. The inscribed property consists of 25 sites which reflect the essence of Fujisan’s sacred landscape. In the 12th century, Fujisan became the centre of training for ascetic Buddhism, which included Shinto elements. On the upper 1,500-metre tier of the 3,776m mountain, pilgrim routes and crater shrines have been inscribed alongside sites around the base of the mountain including Sengen-jinja shrines, Oshi lodging houses, and natural volcanic features such as lava tree moulds, lakes, springs and waterfalls, which are revered as sacred.

Japan

N35 21 39 E138 43 39

Date of Inscription: 2013

Criteria: (iii)(vi)

Property : 20,702 ha

Buffer zone: 49,628 ha

Ref: 1418

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Himeji-jo

Brief Description

Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture, comprising 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defence and ingenious protection devices dating from the beginning of the Shogun period. It is a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal, both in its elegant appearance unified by the white plastered earthen walls and in the subtlety of the relationships between the building masses and the multiple roof layers.

Japan

Hyogo Prefecture

N34 49 60 E134 41 60

Date of Inscription: 1993

Criteria: (i)(iv)

Property : 107 ha

Buffer zone: 143 ha

Ref: 661

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

Brief Description

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is it a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind; it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Japan

Hiroshima Prefecture

N34 22 60 E132 26 60

Date of Inscription: 1996

Criteria: (vi)

Property : 0.40 ha

Buffer zone: 43 ha

Ref: 775
Source: http://whc.unesco.org