JAPANESE  ENGLISH

PEOPLE

2018.08.03
Vol.7
The next generation of technological innovation is born from carrying forward history and culture. - Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution open the way to "conserving while using"

Executive Director of Kogakuin University

Dr.Osamu Goto
Dr.Osamu Goto
  • Bakumatsu or Meiji –Two options in creating the registration system

Q: We have gone over the long “prelude” that preceded the registration of “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” as UNESCO World Heritage sites. What role did you play in registering the sites as World Heritage sites?

When was it that we started working on the registration process? One day, Ms. Kato came to see me accompanied by then President Kimiyasu Shimazu of the Shoko Shuseikan Museum in Kagoshima. I imagine that by this time, Ms. Kato was very confident that “Japan’s industrial heritage sites could be registered as World Heritage sites.” She was very well informed of various successful cases overseas, and she was also in close contact with specialists in other parts of the world. I suppose that is where her confidence came from. The only question was how to go about the process. Again, this is my supposition, but I imagine that Ms. Kato had already figured out a “scenario for presenting and registering Shoko Shuseikan.” What remained was scripting the story of this institution. At about this time, the Cultural Agency was beginning to say that it would add locally nominated sites to its provisional list of World Heritage candidates. That’s why they came to consult with me.

The suggestion that I made to them at the time was, “There are two possible story lines.” One would limit the timeframe of the project to the “Bakumatsu and Restoration periods” that preceded the Meiji Era. The other approach would cover a considerably longer period of time, starting with the Bakumatsu period that immediately preceded Japan’s industrial revolution and extending to the early years of the 20th century when Japan was making its debut on the forefront of industrialization. Each option had its own merits and demerits, but I was not in a position to suggest one over the other. Thus, I went no further than to point out the two possibilities.

Q: What specifically were these merits and demerits?

From a domestic perspective, the former option was clearly advantageous. Within Japan, this approach would be far easier to understand and to gain public support. But from Ms. Kato’s perspective, the latter timeframe was preferable in the sense that it would be more appealing to the world. After all, Bakumatsu is no more than a construct in Japan’s inner history. On the other hand, the latter timeframe has far-reaching and global historical significance.

Another point to keep in mind was geographic scope. Essentially, the former approach would be geographically limited to Kagoshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures that stood at the center of the “Satsuma-Choshu alliance.” By contrast, the latter approach would expand the geographic scope to include the other prefectures of Kyushu. Here was a new possibility that did not exist in Japan’s earlier efforts to register World Heritage sites. In other words, here was a chance to engage a wide geographic region in the registration process. I made these comments from an objective perspective as an individual researcher.

At about this time, the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train was very close to starting operations, and many of Japan’s “industrial revolution heritage sites” were located along the route of the Kyushu Shinkansen. (Laugh) With that in mind, I advised them that this could be one way of looking at it.

Q: So, that was the starting point. As it turned out, things moved in the direction that you had suggested.

Later on, Ms. Kato and I visited the then Governor Yuichiro Ito of Kagoshima Prefecture and I repeated these thoughts to the governor also. The Kagoshima prefectural government considered various possibilities. Although the “Bakumatsu timeframe” would clearly have been the more advantageous approach for their local communities, the prefectural government rose above its own narrow interests. I believe Governor Ito must be lauded for his wisdom and decision that opened the path to the present shape of things.

Q: The next big step was the Cultural Agency Council that was tasked with determining what would be entered on the provisional list for World Heritage sites.

This is how the process worked. Nominations were received from throughout Japan. These were then categorized by theme and submitted to expert working groups charged with examining and verifying the nominations. At the time, I was a member of the Modern Properties working group. The Tomioka Silk Mill had already been placed on the provisional list. Other nominees included the Sado gold mines, the erosion control dams of Toyama Prefecture, and the Ashio copper mine. The experts were tasked with determining which sites to recommend for listing.

At the start, the category “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” was considered to be a somewhat odd and unusual candidate. While all other sites had all been nominated by a single entity, such as a prefecture or municipality, this had been nominated by the Conference of Kyushu Governors and covered a very broad range of properties. It was inevitable that the Cultural Agency looked at it with a certain degree of discomfort at that time.

Q: As a result, it was initially rejected. (Laugh)

It is true that the Cultural Agency initially took a very cool attitude toward “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.” On the other hand, it did not take long for the members of the working group to appreciate the significance of the nomination. After all, they were all specialists in modern Japanese history. As it turned out, “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” came in second only to the Sado gold mine.

But there were other difficulties that had to be surmounted. The Cultural Agency had set a certain rule at this time. A nomination added to the provisional list could not become a true and final candidate unless its constituent elements had been registered by the national government as cultural properties. The problem with the “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” was that with the exception of the Shimazu Shuseikan, almost all of its constituent elements were unregistered. Thus, although it had been added to the provisional list, there was a persistent sense that, “As it stands now, there is no hope for registering this as a World Heritage site.”

One of the suggestions given was that the project should be “subdivided into smaller and independent units.” As I mentioned before, the Tomioka Silk Mill was already on the provisional list. So, the thinking was that a steel mill or a coalmine should be nominated for listing as a separate and single entity. This was logical enough, but this approach would have diluted the historical significance of the industrial heritage that allowed Japan to become the first nation in Asia to successfully modernize.

Q: Would it be correct to say that you emphasized this particular point in countering the opposition to this nomination?

No, no, I would not go so far to say that we had to fight for it. (Laugh) The question was really quite simple. How can we appeal to the people of the world and explain the global significance and meaning of Japan’s modern history? We were discussing these questions with experts in Japanese history and modern history. It took very little time for them to understand and support what we were proposing.

There was another point that I emphasized, and this was the scarcity value of operational properties that remained in use in Japan only. Although this line of argument was not really appreciated within the working group, I believe it was an important point. It is true that various European and American industrial heritage sites had already been registered as World Heritage sites. While these represented core European and American industries from an earlier age, they had been devastated by Japanese rival companies and industries that had rapidly gained competitive strength. As a result, these industries had ceased to exist, and their facilities were no longer operational or in use. The situation in Japan was very different. For example, consider Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Nagasaki Plant or Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal’s Yawata Steel Works. The manufacturing facilities from an older age are still “live” and in operation. Globally, this is a very rare and valuable phenomenon, and can be said to be extremely interesting. I presented my views on this point.

Q: I see your point. Core industries of the advanced economies of Europe and America were defeated in competition with their come-from-behind Japanese rivals. While industrial heritage sites remain in these countries, none of them remain in operation. That is why Japan’s industrial heritage sites are of value. I assume that this is one of the reasons why Western experts attach great value to the “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.”

That is right. Western experts who are able to appreciate this historical value objectively, fairly and in a scholarly manner should be lauded for their wisdom and insight.

Backnumber>ALL
Vol.57
Living now for the future of Japan: The mission of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is to raise awareness and courage that "Japan can be saved if we make use of the spirit of our predecessors."

Former General Manager, Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Mr. Kunifumi Hashimoto
Vol.56
Japan's Meiji Industrial Heritage is the Pride of Japan - Knowing the Steps of Our Predecessors is the Key to Reconsidering Japanese Education

Chairman, Fujisankei Group

Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Television Network, Inc.

Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Media Holdings, Inc.

Hisashi Hieda
Vol.55
The Road to World Heritage Registration was Full of its Ups and Downs ~Blessed, Saved and Paved by the Luck of Human Fate~

Advisor, Federation of Japan Port and Airport Construction Association

(Ex. Chairman of Specialists Center of Port and Airport Engineering)

Mr. Hiroshi Hayashida
Vol.54
The historical flow of change from "Samurai to the Company" is the pride of Japan - Nagasaki, the center of Japan's Meiji Industrial Heritage Sites, will lead the way to connect to the next generation.

Mayor of Nagasaki City

Mr. Shiro Suzuki
Vol.53
The Saga Clan Built Japan's First Reverberatory Furnace, and the "Mietsu Naval Station" was the Base of the Western-style Navy: Passing on the Passion That Went Into Registering the Site as a World Heritage Site to the Next Generation

Former Director of the Sano Tsunetami Memorial Museum (currently known as Sano Tsunetami and the Mietsu Naval Dock History Museum)

Mr. Yoshimi Eguchi
Vol.52
The Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is a "World Cultural Heritage" and a "World Evolutionary Heritage

Director of NPO Association for Thinking about Satoyama

Director of National Congress of the Industrial Heritage

Mr. Kenji Amioka
Vol.51
Shoin Shrine has a mission to convey the history leading up to the Meiji Restoration properly

Honorary Chief Priest Toshinari Ueda

Mr. Toshinari Ueda
Vol.50
What is the secret plan to make the Port of Miike, an operational asset of a World Heritage site?

Former Mayor of Omuta City

Mr. Michio Koga
Vol. 49
Why Conservation Management of Japan's Meiji Industrial Sites is needed?

Archaeologist and Heritage Conservation Specialist

Dr. Michael Pearson AO
Vol.48
The Truth of Industrial History Unraveled from the Perspective of Metallurgy: the Mission of the Heritage of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is to Pass on the Intelligence, Diligence, and Fortitude of the Japanese People to Future Generations

A fellow of the Japan Federation of Engineering Societies

Professor Tadahiro Inazumi
Vol.47
The Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is a Great Teaching Aid, and Various World Revealed by Looking Into It

Team Member of the Industrial Project Team Office for the Promotion of World Heritage Listing under Cabinet Secretariat

Mr. Kazuhiko Suga
Vol.46
The History of Iron that Began in Kagoshima has Dramatically Advanced Japan's Modernization~I Want to Pass on the Vitality of the People of Satsuma to the Younger Generations Whom Will Live in the Future~

Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture

Koichi Shiota
Vol.45
Yoshida Shoin preached the Theory of Engineering Education and produced the Choshu Five who risked their lives to go to England--to pass on the proud Hagi spirit to future generations

Mayor of Hagi City

Mr. Fumio Tanaka
Vol.44
I wish to pass on to my children's generation the wisdom, technology, and energy of our ancestors who built Misumi West Port - I will do my very best to do what I can at this moment by looking ahead to the future that will surely come after COVID-19.

Mayor of Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Mr. Kenshi Morita
Vol. 43
An Imperial Company named the Yawata Steel Works became a World Heritage Site from a Single Old Photo!

The Former Employee of Nippon Steel Corporation

Mr. Masayoshi Minakuchi
Vol.42
We would like to Establish a "New Local Studies" that will be transmitted to the Outside World.

An Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Iwate University

Mr. Hideki Onodera
Vol.41
18 Years History of a Tourist Guide Business and an Outpouring of "Love for Misumi West Port." ~"Registration for World Heritage is Not Simply a Goal, but a New Starting Point."~

Chairman of the Tourist Guide Association of Misumi West Port

Mr. Manpo Saito
Vol.40
To Mark the Passage of "Time" Together with Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace ~To increase the attractiveness of "reverberatory furnace tourism" through the use of commercial museum and restaurant business~

President of Kuraya Narusawa Co., Ltd.

Chairman of Izunokuni City Tourism Association

Mr. Hironori Inamura
Vol.39
The Establishment of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum Were Led by Fate: I want to start, continue, and finish what I can do to convey the value of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution to a wide audience

Director and General Manager of Gunkanjima Concierge

Producer of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum

Ms. Yuko Kuon
Vol.38
In Industrial Heritage, It's the "People" Who Play the Central Role: How World Heritage Inscription Casts a Fresh Light on Hometown Splendors

Owner at Tōge Chaya

Ms. Shizuko Ogasawara
Vol.37
Everything is for the Economic Development of Nagasaki--Expanding Beyond the Shipping Business to Pass on Nagasaki's Culture and Industrial Heritage

Chairman: Mr. Hidenori Date
President: Mr. Masahiro Date

Yamasa Kaiun Co., Ltd.
No.36
Kamaishi's "Miracles" and Overcoming Disaster: The Huge Opportunity Provided by World Heritage Site Inscription

Proprietor, Houraikan Inn

Ms. Akiko Iwasaki
Vol.35
"850 years of historical records" along with Nirayama reverberatory furnace that ought to be passed down to future generations. ~The long-awaited new storage warehouse is completed and it has encouraged preservation, restoration, and utilization~

Representative Director of Egawa Bunko non-profit incorporated foundation

The 42nd head of the Egawa Family

Mr. Hiroshi Egawa
Vol.34
The History of an Era Opened by an Indomitable Pioneering Spirit and the Power of Our Forefathers

Democratic Party for the People (DPP) Representative for Nagasaki Prefecture

Mr. Yoshiaki Takaki
Vol.33
Gunkanjima Is a Warning Message for the Future of Earth and Humanity ~The Thoughts and Pleas of a Guide and Former Resident~

President of the NPO, Way to World Heritage Gunkanjima

Mr. Dotoku Sakamoto
Vol.32
Synchronicity Yields the Miracle of World Heritage Site Inscription: Strong Aspirations Inspire Support among Like-Minded Individuals

Representative Director

MI Consulting Group

Mr. Fumio Ohue
Vol.31
Power to the People of Japan The Mission of Meiji Japan's Industrial Revolutionary Heritage

President of Watanabe Production Group and Honorary Chair of Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd.

Ms. Misa Watanabe
Vol.30
Turning Our Industrial Heritage into Hope for Those 100 Years From Now

Member of the House of Councillors

Mr.Tatsuo Hirano
Vol.29
Calling on 21st Century Satsuma Students to Build the Future! Shuseikan Serves as a Source of Information about Sightseeing in Kagoshima

Governor
Kagoshima Prefecture

Mr. Satoshi Mitazono
Vol.28
Awareness of "Stories with Connections" is steadily spreading throughout each region~There are also challenges for conservation management and interpretation~

World Heritage Consultant

Ms. Sarah Jane Brazil
Vol.27
Where There Is a Will, There Is a Way: Connecting with People Takes Courage and Initiative

Director and Dean, The Kyushu-Asia Institute of Leadership
Representative Director, SUMIDA, Inc.

Mr. Koichi Hashida
Vol.26
Taking Pride in Japan's Latest World Heritage Sites~A Journalist's Perspective~

Journalist, founder of the Shimomura Mitsuko Ikikata Juku School

Ms. Mitsuko Shimomura
Vol.25
Classic Cars and the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution~Rally Nippon 2019 in Kyushu~

Representative, Rally Nippon

Mr.Yusuke Kobayashi
Vol.24
Preparations Proceed for the Development of Exciting Touring Routes to See the World Heritage Sites - The Promotion Council Conveys their Attractions to the World through Various Promotions!

Chairman, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution World Heritage Route Promotion Council Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage

Mr. Susumu Ishihara
Vol.23
Giving Greater Force to the Preparation of Routes toward Promoting "Heritage Tourism" - Recollections of the Unforgettable Bombing of Hometown Kure City and the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb

Representative Director, General Incorporated Foundation National Congress of Industrial Heritage (Advisor, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Capital Markets Research Institute)

Mr. Hiroshi Yasuda
Vol.22
The City Connected to the World: Making the "Treasure of Nagasaki" the "Treasure of the World"

Mayor of Nagasaki City

Mr.Tomihisa Taue
Vol.21
"The World's Experimental Facility" that Questions of the True Value of the "ICOMOS-TICCIH Cooperative Principles" New Conservation Challenges Promoted by the Japanese Government

Policy Director at Heritage Montreal

Mr. Dinu Bumbaru
Vol.20
Days of Heated Argument with the Unforgettable Stuart Smith~A Cross-Cultural Encounter with Familiar 19th-Century Industrial Heritage~

World Heritage Consultant

Mr. Barry Gamble
Vol.19
The next generation of technological innovation is born from carrying forward history and culture. - Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution open the way to "conserving while using"

Executive Director of Kogakuin University

Dr.Osamu Goto
Vol.18
Blazing a New Trail for Serial Inscription-Format Conservation and Management with the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Training Personnel to Pass on Memory and Understanding as a Major Challenge in the Future

Heritage Architect and International Consultant

Mr. Duncan Marshall
Vol.17
3D Digital Documentation of the Giant Cantilever Crane and Kosuge Dock

Head of Data Acquisition at The Glasgow School of Art’s School of Simulation and Visualisation

Mr. Alastair Rawlinson
Vol.16
Japan's Uplifting Industrial Heritage

Head of Industrial Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh

Dr. Miles Oglethorpe
Vol.15
The Scottish Ten Project

Scottish Ten Project Manager, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh

Dr. Lyn Wilson
Vol.14
The Tea Plantation Hill Where You Can See Two World Heritage Sites at Once, Mt. Fuji and the Nirayama Reverberatory Furnaces--The Next Dream Is a "Mini Reverberatory Furnace for Children" to Provide Experiential Learning

Mayor of Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Ms.Toshiko Ono
Vol.13
Path to becoming a World Heritage Site

Pro-Provost and Chairman of Council of the Royal College of Art. Heritage advisor of Canal & River Trust for England and Wales.

Sir Neil Cossons
Vol.12
In the midst of accurate information dissemination, it created a chance to truly look at history

Dean of Tokyo Rissho Junior College

Professor emeritus of Keio University

Dr. Kudo Norikazu
No.11
World Heritage Inscription Spurs Renewed Civic Pride in Kitakyushu's Industrial Heritage

Mayor of Kitakyushu City

Mr. Kenji Kitahashi
Vol.10
World Heritage Inscription: Report on the 2015 Celebratory Party Held in Bonn, Germany

At the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee convened in Bonn, Germany, from June 28 to July 8, 2015, the decision was approved to inscribe the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution on the World Heritage list.

At a celebratory party held to mark the occasion, some of the primary promoters of the project spoke of their joy in achieving their goal and of the trials and tribulations to getting there.

Background of World Heritage Inscription
Vol.9
Conserve and Use: Pioneering New Approaches for Operational Heritage Assets

Director and Managing Executive Officer, Hanshin Expressway Company Limited

Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage

Mr. Hiroshi Okamoto
Vol.8
Applying Port and Harbor Act Provisions to Conserve Operating World Heritage Sites

Vice-Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture

Mr. Takashi Namba
Vol.7
The Choshu Five: Pioneers of Modernization and Hagi's Heritage of Trial and Error

Mayor of Hagi City

Mr. Koji Nomura
Vol.6
The Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: The Roots of Japanese Craftsmanship and Industry

Chairman, Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.

Mr.Masafumi Yasutomi
Vol.5
The Miike Area: How Coal Contributed to Japan's Modern Industrialization

Mayor of Omuta City

Mr.Michio Koga
Vol.4
The Meiji Industrial Revolution: A Story of Broad Vision and a Strong Sense of Mission to Undertake New Challenges for the Good of the Nation and its People

Deputy Director-General, Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau, MEXT

Former Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat

Mr. Kengo Iwamoto
Vol.3
From Kamaishi to Yawata: The Proud Heritage of Japan's Modern Iron Industry

Mayor of Kamaishi City

Mr.Takenori Noda
Vol.2
Lord Nariakira Shimadzu's Shuseikan and the Efforts to Build a Strong and Affluent Nation

Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage Counselor, Shimadzu Limited

Mr.Kimiyasu Shimadzu
Vol.1
The Genesis of Japan's Rise as an Industrial Nation: Preserving the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution for Future Generations

Chairman of the Consortium for the World Heritage Inscription of Modern Industrial Heritage (Kyushu-Yamaguchi) and governor of Kagoshima Prefecture (as of 2015)

Mr.Yuichiro Ito