Sophia Magazine vol.8 / WINTER 2018

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Left: Seiichi Kondo Right: Fr.Toshiaki Koso, S.J.121110Nagasaki andAmakusa Area415672893UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is comprised of parties from 21 member states. The World Heritage con-cept came about in response to the plan to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt in the 1960s, which threatened to in-undate a large stretch of the Nile valley containing cultural treasures of ancient Nubia. An international campaign to protect the “common heritage of humanity” gained strength. This led to the adoption of the World Heritage Convention to preserve cultural and natural heritage from loss and damage caused by development and conflict. The essence of the Convention is that the international commu-nity joins forces to conserve inscribed World Heritage sites: and if necessary, economic and technical aid can be given to regions or countries in which such sites are located, to ensure their preservation. Koso: Japan has certainly played a major role in expanding the concept of World Heritage, hasn’t it?Kondo: Yes, it has, especially in relation to standards of “integrity” and “authenticity,” which are conditions for in-scription as a World Heritage site. The former is applied to all potential locations to validate their OUV, while the latter is used to assess whether the form, materials, and other aspects of the site are the same as they were when the structure was first created, i.e. that the site is “original.” This second criterion, however, is based on the principles of “Western stone culture,” and thus not relevant to a “tim-ber culture” as found in Japan. In Japan’s wooden architec-ture, identical materials are used repeatedly in repairs and rebuilding, meaning that the “soul” of cultural heritage is retained. This is what Japan proposed at the Nara Confer-ence on Authenticity (1994): that a site could be verified as authentic even if not original, as long as the same materi-als, techniques, tools, design, and other aspects had been applied. This paved the way for the designation of many World Heritage sites that preserve timber and earth cul-tures in Asia, Africa, and beyond.Koso: The Hidden Christian (senpuku kirishitan) Sites were originally proposed for inscription under the title of “Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki,” focusing on the churches built in the late Edo and Meiji periods. How-ever, considering the submission in terms of its uniqueness and contribution to humanity, ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites that sits under the World Heritage Committee) suggested that the focus should be on Japan’s period of official repression of Christian practices. As a result, the sites making up the submission were revised and resubmitted under the new title of “Hidden Christian Sites.” The period of official repression of Christianity covers roughly the period from 1612, when an edict banning the religion was issued for all territories of the Shogunate, until Three Reasons the Hidden ChristianSites are of Significance TodayRemains of Hara Castle1ⅠFormation of Hidden Christians[ mid 1500s – mid 1600s ]Kasuga Village and sacred place in Hirado(Kasuga Village and Mt.Yasumandake)2Kasuga Village and sacred place in Hirado(Nakaenoshima Island)3Sakitsu Village in Amakusa4Shitsu Village in Sotome5Ono Village in Sotome6ⅡContinuation of Religious Faith[ mid 1600s – early 1800s ]Oura Cathedral1211Egami Village on Naru Island(Egami Church and its surroundings)ⅣEnd of Hidden Christians’ persecution[ mid 1800s – early 1900s ]Villages on Kuroshima Island7Remains of Villages on Nozaki Island8Villages on Kashiragashima Island9Villages on Hisaka Island10ⅢContinuation and Spread of Religious Communities[ late 1700s – mid 1800s ]Interrelationships amongthe 12 ComponentsHidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region: 17