Kyoto's Manpukuji Temple to Be Designated as National Treasure

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese government panel proposed Friday that Manpukuji Temple in the western city of Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, be designated as a national treasure.

The cultural council also recommended that six new important cultural properties be listed, including Sojiji Soin Temple in the central city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Kongobuji Temple in the western town of Koya, Wakayama Prefecture.

The designations are expected to be approved soon, bringing the total number of sites on the important cultural property list to 2,589, including 232 national treasures.

Manpukuji Temple was opened by a high Buddhist priest who came from China in the mid-17th century, when Japan's borders were basically closed. It features a unique architectural style that combines Chinese Buddhist architecture of the late Ming to early Qing dynasties with Japanese temple architecture.

Sojiji Soin Temple was rebuilt as a branch of the original temple, which had been relocated to Yokohama, south of Tokyo, after a massive fire during the Meiji era. The temple has a mixture of early and late modern structures. It was repaired after being damaged by an earthquake in 2007. Meanwhile, it suffered only minor damage in the Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan. 1 this year.

Kongobuji Temple has a steel-reinforced concrete structure that was rebuilt in the early Showa era using a technique to make it look like a traditional wooden structure.

Separately, the council recommended that "kado," the Japanese art of flower arrangement, and "temomi seicha," a traditional tea-making method, be added to the country's list of intangible cultural assets.

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