Important Cultural Property (Japan)
Introduction Sankei-en's Rinshunkaku in Yokohama is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property of JapanAn  is an item officially classified as Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) and judged to be of particular importance to the history, arts, and culture of the Japanese people.
Classification of Cultural Properties To protect the cultural heritage of Japan, the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was created as a  under which important items are appropriated as Cultural Properties, thus imposing restrictions to their alteration, repair and export. Besides the "designation system", there exists a , which guarantees a lower level of protection and support to Registered Cultural Properties.Cultural Properties are classified according to their nature. Items designated as Tangible Cultural Properties (as opposed to Intangible Cultural Properties), cultural products of high historical or artistic value such as structures, paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, calligraphic works, ancient books, historic documents, archeological artifacts and other such items, can later, if they satisfy certain criteria, be designated either Important Cultural Properties or , for especially valuable items. The designation can take place at the ,  or  level. In this last case the designating agency is often not specified. Varying levels of designation can coexist. For example, Sankei-en, a traditional Japanese-style garden in Naka Ward, Yokohama, is both city and nationally designated as an Important Cultural Properties.
Examples File:Seigantoji05s1920.jpg|Seiganto-ji, Wakayama PrefectureFile:Horyu-ji15s3200.jpg|A Nio at Hōryū-ji, NaraFile:Kochi Castle04s3872.jpg|Kōchi Castle, Kōchi PrefectureFile:Nihonbashi 12.jpg|Nihon Bridge in Nihonbashi, TokyoFile:Tsujyunkyo.jpg|Tsūjun Bridge, Kumamoto PrefectureFile:Nikolai-do.jpg|Holy Resurrection Cathedral in TokyoFile:Hokkaido Prefectural Office02s5s4272.jpg|The Former Hokkaidō government office buildingFile:TsurugaokaHachiman4226.jpg|Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefectureFile:Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company Head Office 2009.jpg|Meiji Seimei Kan in Tokyo File:Hatsuhana Katatsuki, front view (black and white).jpg|''Hatsuhana'' tea caddy, one of the special tea utensils, kept at the Tokugawa Memorial Foundation
Lists of Important Cultural Properties of Japan * List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Asuka period: structures)* List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Nara period: structures)* List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Heian period: structures)* List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Kamakura period: structures)* List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Shōwa period: structures)* List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Okinawa: structures)
See also * Cultural Properties of Japan
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