Hikone Castle's World Heritage Listing Possible: UNESCO Panel

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)--An advisory panel to UNESCO has told the Japanese government that Hikone Castle in the western prefecture of Shiga may possibly meet a criterion for inscription on the World Cultural Heritage list, Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency said Wednesday. 

Notifying the agency of the outcome of its preliminary assessment on Oct. 2, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS, indicated the possibility of the Edo-period castle being assessed as a property bearing a unique testimony to a disappeared cultural tradition or civilization and satisfying an inscription condition.

But at the same time, the panel advised that serial nominations be considered because Hikone Castle alone may not be able to completely explain how systematically the Tokugawa shogunate had governed "daimyo" feudal lords. The advice runs counter to Shiga's desire to have the castle nominated independently.

The government, which applied for the ICOMOS preliminary assessment process for the first time, will consider what to do next based on the assessment result. If it decides to nominate the castle, relevant documents will be submitted to the World Heritage Committee in 2026 at earliest. The committee is expected to make a decision in 2027 or later.

The castle has been on Japan's tentative list for possible World Heritage sites for more than 30 years. The government requested the ICOMOS assessment last September as advised by the Cultural Affairs Council.

Under the preliminary assessment system, which started last year with a trial period to facilitate heritage designation procedures, ICOMOS gives advice before formal nominations are made. For sites to be nominated in 2027 or later, the panel's assessments must be sought.

Hikone Castle was constructed over a span of roughly two decades from 1604 under the leadership of the shogunate. Controlled by the Ii family, it played roles as a cornerstone of the shogunate's governance across the country.

The castle tower is designated as a national treasure.

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