UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q1333799 (CC0).

UNESCO's 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Himeyama hill, the location of present-day Himeji Castle, was first fortified in 1333 by Akamatsu Norimura, the shugo of Harima Province, during the Genkō War. In 1346, his son Sadanori demolished this fort and built Himeyama Castle in its place. In 1545, the Kuroda clan was stationed here by order of the Kodera clan, and feudal ruler Kuroda Shigetaka remodeled the castle into Himeji Castle, completing the work in 1561. In 1580, Kuroda Yoshitaka presented the castle to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in 1581 Hideyoshi significantly expanded the castle, building a three-story keep with an area of about 55 m2 (590 ft2).

Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu granted Himeji Castle to his son-in-law, Ikeda Terumasa, as a reward for his help in battle.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q188754 (CC0).

UNESCO's 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The Shirakami Mountains are primarily granite and sedimentary rock and also include rhyolite and quartz diorite. The prefecture has many waterfalls and rivers. The Anmon, Akashi, Kasuge, Oirase, Ou, and Sasauchi Rivers run through it. The area has an altitude ranging from 100 meters (330 ft) to 1,243 meters (4,078 ft) above sea level, with an average of 1,000 meters (3,300 ft). The area has many deep and very steep intersecting valleys. The mean annual temperature is 12 °C (54 °F) at lower altitudes. The average rainfall is 1,938 millimeters (76.3 in).

Shirakami Sanchi has a unique ecosystem within its cool-temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest area, with heavy winter snowfall.

Location

Shirakami-Sanchi is a wilderness area covering one third of the Shirakami mountain range, straddling both Akita and Aomori Prefectures, with three-fourths of it in Aomori Prefecture. It has the largest remaining virgin beech forest in East Asia and the last vigin forest of Fagus crenata in Japan. It is a remnant of the cool-temperate forests that have covered mountainous slopes of northern Japan since 8,000-10,000 years ago. Beech forests are distributed across the northern hemisphere and are believed to have originated from circumpolar vegetation prior to the last glaciation. The location near the Sea of Japan is characterized by a distinct heavy-snow environment, enabling the area to retain a complete ecosystem of stable climax beech forest, which has disappeared from most of the world.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q501638 (CC0).

UNESCO's 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Yakushima is located approximately 61.3 kilometres (38.1 mi) south of the southern tip of Ōsumi Peninsula in southern Kyushu, or 135 kilometres (73 nmi) south of Kagoshima. The Tanegashima Strait (Tanegashima Kaikyō) separates it from the nearby island of Tanegashima, which is home to the Japanese Space Centre. Periodic rocket launches from Tanegashima can clearly be seen from Yakushima.

The bedrock of the island is granite, so there are no active volcanoes. The island has an area of 504.5 square kilometres (194.8 sq mi) and is roughly circular, with a circumference of 89 kilometres (55 mi) and a diameter of 28 kilometres (17 mi). Its highest elevations are Miyanouradake (宮之浦岳), at 1,935 metres (6,348 ft), and Nagatadake (永田岳), at 1,886 metres (6,188 ft).

History

Yakushima has been settled since at least the Jōmon period. It was first mentioned in written documents of the Chinese Sui dynasty of the 6th century. In 601, the Chinese sent an expedition to the "Country of Liukiu" (流求國). They noted that the people were small but pugnacious. They could not understand the local language, however, and returned to China. In 607, they sent another expedition to trade and brought back one of the islanders.

In the ancient Japanese history text Shoku Nihongi, in an entry dated 702 CE, it is said that Yakushima formed part of ancient Tane Province.

During the Edo period, Yakushima was ruled by the Shimazu clan of the Satsuma Domain and was considered part of Ōsumi Province.

Demographics and economy

The population of Yakushima reached its peak in 1960, with 24,010 inhabitants. It thereafter declined until about 1995 but has subsequently stabilized at 12,053 inhabitants as of 2020. Humans are far outnumbered on the island by wildlife.

Traditionally, the economic mainstays of the population were forestry and the export of wood products (principally cedar roof shingles), and commercial fishing. Cultivation of oranges and tea, the distilling of shōchū, and tourism are now the main sources of income.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q242176 (CC0).

Visiting Yakushima

Yakushima (屋久島) is an island off the south east coast of Kyushu next to Tanegashima and north of Okinawa in Japan. Officially a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Though not too well known outside Japan, Yakushima is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, hence the infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, transportation) is good.

Administratively, Yakushima Town (屋久島町) also contains another island, Kuchinoerabu (口永良部島).

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Yakushima (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q874027 (CC0).

UNESCO's 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The three villages are situated in a remote valley, surrounded by high and rugged mountains which receive particularly high snowfall in winter. Remoteness and difficulty of access severely restricted the connection of this region with the outside world until around the 1950s. This isolation led to the development of its unique culture and traditions, including the architectural tradition of the Gassho-style farmhouses which has been handed down through the generations. For some time this region was known as 'the last unexplored area of Japan'.

The Shō River lies in the centre of this region. It rises in the southern mountains, then flows northwards towards the Japan Sea along a deep, winding and narrow valley, surrounded by mountains rising to a height of 1,500 metres (4,921 ft).

History

Mt Hakusan is the principal mountain in this area, and has been regarded as a sacred summit since ancient times. In the 8th century, the Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama area became a location for ascetic religious practices, and mountain worship centred on Mt Hakusan.

For a long time afterward, the region was under the control of the Tendai sect of Buddhist Japan. The tradition of Ochi-udo Densetsu (legend of defeated warriors who flee to the remote areas) remains today, no doubt as a result of its remote, isolated and mountainous nature. Tendai sect religion was replaced in the 13th century by the Jodo Shin sect, which remains the main religious influence to the present day.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q877626 (CC0).

UNESCO's 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q231140 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Itsukushima jinja was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Aki Province.

This shrine is one of the "Three Great Shrines of Aki Province", along with Take Shrine and Hayatani Shrine.

The first torii on the site is said to have been erected in 569, supposedly by Saeki Kuramoto during the reign of Empress Suiko (592–628 CE). Although a torii has been in place at the site since 1168, the current structure dates to 1875. The present shrine has been popularly attributed to Taira no Kiyomori, a prominent noble of the Imperial Court and later Chancellor (Daijō-daijin), who contributed heavily to the construction of the shrine during his time as governor of Aki Province in 1168.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q191763 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q1055749 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q1063133 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The construction of gusuku began throughout the Ryukyu Islands during the Gusuku Period (1187–1314) with the rise of chieftains and feudal lords called Aji at the approach of the 12th century. During this period, people who had been living in coastlines along low-lying areas had moved to higher ground to build villages inland. Agriculture, such as paddy rice, wheat and millet, was developed further during this period. Certain groves within these villages were designated as sacred grounds, called utaki, for praying to guardian spirits of cultivation. Overseas trading was also opened when the Ryukyu Islands began to create a common culture. The existence of Sueki ware and Chinese ceramics excavated in the Amami Islands region is considered as strong evidence of its cultural development.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q1333330 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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 (506.4 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q611345 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in the south-west of Honshu Island is a cluster of mountains, rising to 600 m and interspersed by deep river valleys featuring the archaeological remains of large-scale mines, smelting and refining sites and mining settlements worked between the 16th and 20th centuries. The site also features routes used to transport silver ore to the coast, and port towns from where it was shipped to Korea and China. The mines contributed substantially to the overall economic development of Japan and south-east Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries, prompting the mass production of silver and gold in Japan. The mining area is now heavily wooded. Included in the site are fortresses, shrines, parts of Kaidô transport routes to the coast, and three port towns, Tomogaura, Okidomari and Yunotsu, from where the ore was shipped.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The mine was discovered and developed in 1526 by Kamiya Jutei, a Japanese merchant. Jutei later introduced a Korean style of silver mining that would become the Haifukiho Method. The mine reached its peak production in the early 1600s, with approximately 38 tons of silver a year while Japan produced about 200 tons of silver a year which was then one third of the world's production.

Silver from the mine was used widely for coins in Japan. It was contested fiercely by warlords until the Tokugawa Shogunate won control of it in 1600 as a result of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. It was later secured by fences and barricaded by pine trees. Yamabuki Castle was built in the center of the mining complex.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q174139 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geology

The Bonin Islands are a part of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana arc of Pacific islands. A fore arc, they lie above the subduction zone where the Pacific Plate slides beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. This began during the Eocene, simultaneously producing the deep Bonin Trench to the east about 50 million years ago and prolonged volcanic activity that created the islands on the west around 48 million years ago. The Bonins are mostly composed of an andesitic volcanic rock called boninite, rich in magnesium oxide, chromium, and silicon dioxide. They may represent the exposed parts of an ophiolite that has not yet been emplaced on oceanic crust.

Climate

The climate of the Bonin Islands ranges from a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) to tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am).

The climate of Chichijima is on the boundary between the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification Cfa) and the tropical monsoon climate (Köppen classification Am). Temperatures are warm to hot all year round due to the warm currents from the North Pacific gyre surrounding the island. Rainfall is less heavy than in most parts of mainland Japan since the island is too far south to be influenced by the Aleutian Low and too far from Asia to receive monsoonal rainfall or orographic precipitation on the equatorward side of the Siberian High.

Ecology

Type I: Elaeocarpus–Ardisia mesic forest is found in moist lowland areas with deep soils. The forests have a closed canopy with a height of about 15 meters (49 ft), dominated by Ardisia sieboldii. Elaeocarpus photiniaefolius, Pisonia umbellifera, and Planchonella obovata are other important canopy species. These forests were almost completely destroyed by clearing for agriculture before 1945.

Type IIa: Distylium-Schima dry forest occurs in cloudy upland areas with fine-textured soils. These forests contain many rare and endemic species, with Pandanus boninensis and Syzygium buxifolium as the predominant trees.

Type IIb: Raphiolepis-Livistona dry forest is found in upland areas with few clouds and rocky soils.

History

At the end of the 20th century, prehistoric tools and carved stones were discovered on North Iwo Jima and Chichijima, establishing that the islands were previously home to at least some members of an unknown Micronesian people.

The first recorded visit by Europeans to the islands happened on 2 October 1543, when the Spanish explorer Bernardo de la Torre on the San Juan sighted Haha-jima, which he charted as Forfana. The islands were uninhabited at that time. Japanese discovery of the islands occurred in Kanbun 10 (1670) and was followed by a shogunate expedition in Enpō 3 (1675). The islands were then referred to as Bunin jima (無人島, Buninjima), literally "the uninhabited islands".

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q243634 (CC0).

Visiting Ogasawara Archipelago

The Ogasawara Islands (小笠原諸島 Ogasawara-shotō) are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands. Almost the whole area of the islands is included in the Ogasawara National Park. You can visit the marine park as well. This is an area known for whale watching. It is a tourist destination, even though the only access is via a 24 hour-long ferry ride from Tokyo.

The Ogasawara Islands were added to UNESCO's list of World Natural Heritage sites in 2011 as animals and plants there have undergone unique evolutionary processes since these islands have never been connected with a continent, thus often dubbed as the "Galapagos of the Orient".

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Ogasawara Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's 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 been the object of pilgrimages and inspired artists and poets. The inscribed property consists of 25 sites which reflect the essence of Fujisan’s sacred and artistic 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. Its representation in Japanese art goes back to the 11th century, but 19th century woodblock prints of views, including those from sand beaches with pine tree groves have made Fujisan an internationally recognized icon of Japan and have had a deep impact on the development of Western art.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Mount Fuji is a distinctive feature of the geography of Japan. It stands 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft) tall and is located near the Pacific coast of central Honshu, just southwest of Tokyo. It straddles the boundary of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. Four small cities surround it - Gotemba to the east, Fujiyoshida to the north, Fujinomiya to the southwest, and Fuji to the south - accompanied by towns and villages. It is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Sai, Lake Motosu and Lake Shōji. They, and nearby Lake Ashi in Kanagawa Prefecture, provide views. The mountain is part of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. It can be seen more distantly from Yokohama, Tokyo, and sometimes as far as Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Ibaraki and Lake Hamana under skies.

Geology

Mount Fuji is located at a triple junction trench where the Eurasian Plate, North American Plate, and Philippine Sea Plate meet. These three plates form the western part of Japan, the eastern part of Japan, and the Izu Peninsula respectively. The Pacific Plate is subducting beneath these plates, resulting in volcanic activity. Mount Fuji is located near three island arcs: the Southwestern Japan Arc, the Northeastern Japan Arc, and the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc. The Fuji triple junction is only 400 kilometres (250 mi) from the Boso triple junction.

Fuji's main crater is 780 m (2,560 ft) in diameter and 240 m (790 ft) deep. The bottom of the crater is 100–130 m (330–430 ft) in diameter.

Climate

The summit has a tundra climate (Köppen climate classification ET). The temperature is low at high altitude, and the cone is covered by snow for several months of the year. The lowest recorded temperature is −38.0 °C (−36.4 °F) recorded in February 1981, and the highest temperature was 17.8 °C (64.0 °F) recorded in August 1942.

Fuji's seasonal snowcap appears at an average date of 2 October. In 2024, the snowcap formed on 6 November, the latest-occurring since records began in 1894.

History

Mount Fuji is widely regarded to have an attractive volcanic cone. It has been a frequent subject of Japanese art, especially after 1600, when Edo (now Tokyo) became the capital and people saw the mountain while traveling on the Tōkaidō road. According to historian H. Byron Earhart, "in medieval times it eventually came to be seen by Japanese as the "number one" mountain of the known world of the three countries of India, China, and Japan". The mountain is mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and is the subject of many poems.

The summit has been thought of as sacred since ancient times, and was therefore forbidden to women.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q39231 (CC0).

Visiting Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration

Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, 3776 m) is Japan's highest mountain and the focal point of the sprawling Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the mountain is to the west of Tokyo on the main island Honshu, straddling the border between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. In order to prevent one prefecture from "claiming" the mountain, the peak of Mount Fuji is the only place in the country that is not located in any prefecture; its location is simply "Japan".

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Mount Fuji (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

This property is a historic sericulture and silk mill complex established in the late 19th and early 20th century in the Gunma prefecture, north-west of Tokyo. It consists of four sites that correspond to the different stages in the production of raw silk: a large raw silk reeling plant whose machinery and industrial expertise were imported from France; an experimental farm for production of cocoons; a school for the dissemination of sericulture knowledge; and a cold-storage facility for silkworm eggs. The site illustrates Japan’s desire to rapidly access the best mass production techniques, and became a decisive element in the renewal of sericulture and the Japanese silk industry in the last quarter of the 19th century. Tomioka Silk Mill and its related sites became the centre of innovation for the production of raw silk and marked Japan’s entry into the modern, industrialized era, making it the world’s leading exporter of raw silk, notably to Europe and the United States.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q7769551 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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 19 th century to the early 20 th century, through the development of the iron and 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 19 th 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.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q7751872 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Located 60 km off the western coast of Kyushu island, the island of Okinoshima is an exceptional example of the tradition of worship of a sacred island. The archaeological sites that have been preserved on the island are virtually intact, and provide a chronological record of how the rituals performed there changed from the 4th to the 9th centuries AD. In these rituals, votive objects were deposited as offerings at different sites on the island. Many of them are of exquisite workmanship and had been brought from overseas, providing evidence of intense exchanges between the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula and the Asian continent. Integrated within the Grand Shrine of Munakata, the island of Okinoshima is considered sacred to this day.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Background

The three Munakata kami are said in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki to be daughters of Amaterasu, spawned upon the sun-goddess' consumption of giant swords. Okitsu-Miya on the island of Okinoshima is part of the Shinto shrine complex of Munakata Taisha; no formal shrine buildings were constructed on the island; instead rock piles or yorishiro provided the focus for veneration. Over 80,000 artefacts were ritually deposited at the site from the fourth to the tenth centuries. These have been designated a National Treasure. They include mirrors and bronze dragon-head finials from Wei China; gold rings and horse-trappings similar to those found in Silla tombs in Korea; and fragments of a glass bowl from Sassanian Persia.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q324638 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Located in the north-western part of Kyushu island, this serial property consists of ten villages, remains of the Hara Castle and a cathedral, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. They reflect the era of prohibition of the Christian faith, as well as the revitalization of Christian communities after the official lifting of prohibition in 1873. These sites bear unique testimony to a cultural tradition nurtured by hidden Christians in the Nagasaki region who secretly transmitted their faith during the period of prohibition from the 17th to the 19th century.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q93643 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Encompassing 42,698 hectares of subtropical rainforests on four islands on a chain located in the southwest of Japan, the serial site forms an arc on the boundary of the East China Sea and Philippine Sea whose highest point, Mount Yuwandake on Amami-Oshima Island, rises 694 metres above sea level. Entirely uninhabited by humans, the site has high biodiversity value with a very high percentage of endemic species, many of them globally threatened. The site is home to endemic plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, inland water fish and decapod crustaceans, including, for example, the endangered Amami Rabbit ( Pentalagus furnessi ) and the endangered Ryukyu Long-haired Rat ( Diplothrix legata ) that represent ancient lineages and have no living relatives anywhere in the world. Five mammal species, three bird species, and three amphibian species in the property have been identified globally as Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. There are also a number of different endemic species confined to each respective island that are not found elsewhere in the property.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

First selected as a candidate site in 2003, the original nomination was added to the Tentative List in 2016; after initial IUCN evaluation, in 2018 the nomination was withdrawn for revision, prior to resubmission the following year; after further evaluation, in 2021 IUCN recommended inscription in July of the revised nomination. UNESCO voted to list it as a World Heritage Site in 2021.

In the long history of the campaign for registration, this candidate site was renamed at least twice. When a panel of natural scientists formally added it to Japan's tentative list of nomination, it was given the name of Ryūkyū Shotō.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q11444847 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The property consists of 17 archaeological sites in the southern part of Hokkaido Island and northern Tohoku in geographical settings ranging from mountains and hills to plains and lowlands, from inland bays to lakes, and rivers. They bear a unique testimony to the development over some 10,000 years of the pre-agricultural yet sedentary Jomon culture and its complex spiritual belief system and rituals. It attests to the emergence, development, maturity and adaptability to environmental changes of a sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer society which developed from about 13,000 BCE. Expressions of Jomon spirituality were given tangible form in objects such as lacquered pots, clay tablets with the impression of feet, the famous goggle eyed dogu figurines, as well as in ritual places including earthworks and large stone circles reaching diameters of more than 50 metres. The serial property testifies to the rare and very early development of pre-agricultural sedentism from emergence to maturity.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q11402500 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Located in the southern part of the Nara Basin, Asuka and Fujiwara were the two ancient capitals of the Japanese archipelago that marked the establishment of a centralised state system modelled after the Chinese codified law known as ritsuryō. Nineteen component parts, comprising palaces/government offices, Buddhist temples and mounded tombs, contain archaeological evidence of the Asuka Capital (588-694 CE) and the Fujiwara Capital (694-710 CE). The Asuka capital was established at the site of the Asuka-dera Temple, the first Buddhist temple in Japan. Together, the sites illustrate the introduction and consolidation of key elements of early centralized governance and influenced the later Japanese capitals of Nara and Kyoto.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).