In the Service of National Culture: Japanese Preservation and its Political Context 1871-1994

Japanese preservation is rightfully credited with the development of the concept of intangible heritage. But it has become a cliché to attribute the singular traits of Japanese preservation to its isolation from foreign influences. This essay shows that the development of Japanese preservation policies from the Meiji Period (1868-1926) to the recent past were far more politically driven, and in dialogue with foreign ideas, than is often acknowledged. Early 20th century politicians often secured power by stoking popular fears that the country was becoming too Buddhist, or too Westernized, and promoted preservation policies that produced a sense of cultural uniqueness. During the postwar years, American rule shifted social power dynamics and saw the emergence of bottom up citizen-led preservation groups more concerned with preserving their “cultural space,” conceived as traditional neighborhoods and lifestyles, against Westernization. As Japan joined the international community a new generation of preservationists jockeyed for power within UNESCO by emphasizing their unique intellectual contributions, seizing upon the recent concept of cultural space and eventually recasting according to Zen and Buddhist philosophy into an concept of intangible heritage that defied Western chronologies.