Ordinary citizens in Japan can now observe repairs and excavations at historical sites that were until recently closed to the public. A number of municipal governments and other entities have opened these sites with the aim of promoting tourism.
At Shokoji temple in Takaoka, Japan, about 20 visitors gasped in surprise. "This must be really tough work," one of them said after observing roofing repairs at the temple.
Designated as an important cultural property by the government, Shokoji has been undergoing preservation and repair work since 1998 in a 23-year project. Repair of a priests' lodging house, which has a kitchen, entrance and library among other features, began in 2005. For the past three years, the temple has been accepting public tours.
Visitors are allowed inside the construction shelter that covers the lodging house so they can get a close look at the kitchen and other parts of the house.
Shokoji dates back to 1471, when priest Rennyo - known as the originator of the restoration of the Honganji school of Buddhism - established Doyama Gobo temple in what is now the city of Nanto in Toyama Prefecture. The temple was once the base of major uprisings by Buddhism adherents in the Sengoku warring states period (1493-1573). The temple was relocated to its current site in 1584.
Twelve of the temple's structures, designated as important cultural assets, were built in the mid- to late Edo period (1603-1867), and have been badly damaged.
"Usually, the temple is quiet," said Koji Omaki, senior director of the public corporation tasked with the preservation and utilization of Shokoji.
Omaki, who guides tours at the temple, said 4,000 people visited the temple last year to see the repair work, clearly demonstrating the effect of opening the project to the public.
The opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen also helped increase the number of visitors, especially from the Kanto region. The temple has recently been included on the itinerary of package tours.
"The place is magnificent, and I felt the deep faith that our ancestors had," a former local teacher said. "I can understand the significance of the preservation."
Omaki said, "If you observe the restoration work, you can understand what it means."
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In some cases, visitors can observe repairs being carried out on cultural properties that were damaged in natural disasters.
The two-kilometer-long stone wall at Komine Castle in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, collapsed in 10 places in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
In addition to the collapsed sections, repairs were needed at six other places on the wall. Restoration of those sections continues with the aim of completing the work in fiscal 2018.
The Shirakawa municipal government allowed restoration work to be observed once in 2011 and again in 2012. But since 2014, restoration work has been opened to the public once a month.
Visitors to the castle subsequently increased to about 70,000 in fiscal 2015 compared to slightly more than 50,000 in fiscal 2010.
"The castle is the symbol of our city," said Isao Suzuki, a municipal government official. "Showing the progress of restoration work will give city residents hope and make people realize the importance of cultural assets."
In October, soil was removed from around large rocks to show visitors how small stones were used to stabilize large ones.
"It is a valuable experience to see how the large rocks are stacked," said Yoshikazu Endo, a civil engineer from Motomiya, Fukushima Prefecture.
"I stopped by during a trip," said Takashi Sugiyama, a company worker from Asaka, Saitama Prefecture. "By providing more of these types of opportunities, interest in culture assets will grow."
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Only ruins can now be found where the huge five- or six-tier Sumpu Castle used to stand in what is now the city of Shizuoka. The castle is known as a residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, after he handed over power to his son Hidetada.
The castle was destroyed in a 1635 fire and has never been rebuilt. The elevated ground used as the foundation for the castle, now part of the Sumpu Castle Park, was buried in the Meiji era (1868-1912).
To uncover the history of the castle, the Shizuoka municipal government on Aug. 9 began excavations, which are carried out on weekdays and every fourth Saturday and Sunday of the month, and are open to the public. By having visitors observe the excavation work, the city government hopes to increase public interest in the castle and use revenue from tourism to help finance the excavation.
On Nov. 26, a 67-meter-long stone wall that stands 5.6 meters at its highest point could be seen running from north to south. "This wall dates back 400 years," a volunteer said.
Researchers and other people working on the excavation wear uniform bibs bearing the Tokugawa "Mitsuba Aoi" crest (three leaves of the hollyhock).
At the visitors' center at a corner of the excavation site, people can view a video outlining the excavation as well as unearthed artifacts.
"We have to come up with ideas to attract people from around the country," said Hideatsu Hasegawa, a researcher for the excavation project. As of the end of November, 22,900 visitors had observed the excavation.
Normally, excavation work is shown to the public only at certain times with on-site guidance. Access to the sites, which are similar to civil engineering sites, is limited because of safety concerns.
At the Sumpu Castle ruins, the excavation work revealed rock walls and created 10-meter-wide trenches. The trenches are used to separate visitors from where the excavation is being carried out to ensure safety.
"Whenever an interesting item is unearthed, the workers at the excavation site want as many people as possible to see it," Hasegawa said. The excavation work will continue until March 2020.
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