In Japan, so-called “shokunin” who create things with their specialist skills can be found in all kinds of fields. It is expected that it won’t be long before Japan’s “traditional skills, techniques and knowledge of the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture” will be added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The Intangible Cultural Heritage list includes such things as traditional craftsmanship and social customs, which would include festivals and the like. As of 2020, the list contains 463 items from around the world with 21 of them from Japan, including kabuki, Japanese cuisine and Japanese handmade paper craftsmanship. Skills from 17 areas will be included under the “traditional building skills” listing. Among these are techniques for building temples and shrines from wood without using nails, for finishing walls with mud and plaster, and for repairing fusuma (sliding door) paintings and kakejiku (hanging scrolls). The conservation and restoration of historic buildings is mostly carried out using original techniques from the period and with materials that work in harmony in with the building itself. This requires a high level of craftsmanship, which has evolved over time by artisans who have inherited and developed techniques. Many so-called cultural properties – a notable example is the World Heritage Site Itsukushima Shrine – have been conserved and restored with these traditional building skills. This is a great encouragement to those who have followed in the footsteps of the craftsmen who have kept Japan’s cultural heritage alive.
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