Special Historic Site

What a Special Historic Site is

A Special Historic Site is a monument that the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has singled out from among designated Historic Site as being of particular importance, under Article 109, paragraph 2 of the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties.

Designation proceeds in two steps. A monument is first designated a Historic Site, and the special tier is drawn from that pool, so every site in the upper tier also belongs to the lower one. The Act treats the general term as including the special one, which is why the published figures describe 66 of the 1,923 Historic Sites as special rather than listing them separately.

The same structure applies to the other two monument categories. There are 36 Special Places of Scenic Beauty and 75 Special Natural Monuments, giving 177 designations in the special tier across all three, or 167 distinct places once sites carrying more than one category are counted once.

The arrangement resembles the relationship between an Important Cultural Property and a National Treasure, but the two systems rest on different articles of the Act and their figures are kept apart. A Special Historic Site is not a National Treasure, and the two ranks are not interchangeable.

What changes at the upper tier

The difference lies in what happens after damage. Where a Special Historic Site has been harmed or has fallen into decay, the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs may order the managing body or owner to restore it. For other Historic Sites the Commissioner may only recommend restoration. If an order is ignored, or if leaving the work to the owner is judged unsuitable, the Commissioner may carry out the restoration or protective measures directly.

Everyday obligations are shared. Permission is required for any change to the present state at either tier, and the system of designated managing bodies works the same way. Visitors will rarely notice a practical difference on site.

Because the upper tier includes the lower, a sign reading Special Historic Site already tells you the place is a Historic Site. Naming the special rank alone is both accurate and sufficient.