National Treasures of Japan | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:33 1 History
00:02:41 1.1 Background and early protection efforts
00:05:21 1.2 Ancient Temples and Shrines Preservation Law
00:08:16 1.3 Extension of the protection
00:12:29 1.4 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties
00:15:22 1.5 Recent developments in cultural properties protection
00:18:33 2 Designation procedure
00:20:16 3 Categories
00:21:01 3.1 Castles
00:22:11 3.2 Modern and historical residences
00:22:59 3.3 Structures related to industry, transportation and public works
00:23:46 3.4 Shrines
00:24:55 3.5 Temples
00:25:59 3.6 Miscellaneous structures
00:27:50 3.7 Ancient documents
00:28:39 3.8 Archaeological materials
00:29:43 3.9 Crafts
00:31:19 3.10 Historical materials
00:33:26 3.11 Paintings
00:34:31 3.12 Sculptures
00:36:02 3.13 Writings
00:36:40 4 Preservation and utilization measures
00:40:37 5 Statistics
00:41:52 5.1 Geographical distribution
00:43:27 5.2 Age
00:45:56 6 See also
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- Socrates
SUMMARY
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A National Treasure (国宝, kokuhō) is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). A Tangible Cultural Property is considered to be of historic or artistic value, classified either as buildings and structures or as fine arts and crafts. Each National Treasure must show outstanding workmanship, a high value for world cultural history, or exceptional value for scholarship.
Approximately 20% of the National Treasures are structures such as castles, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, or residences. The other 80% are paintings; scrolls; sutras; works of calligraphy; sculptures of wood, bronze, lacquer or stone; crafts such as pottery and lacquerware carvings; metalworks; swords and textiles; and archaeological and historical artifacts. The items span the period of ancient to early modern Japan before the Meiji period, including pieces of the world's oldest pottery from the Jōmon period and 19th-century documents and writings. The designation of the Akasaka Palace in 2009 and of the Tomioka Silk Mill in 2014 added two modern, post-Meiji Restoration, National Treasures.
Japan has a comprehensive network of legislation for protecting, preserving, and classifying its cultural patrimony. The regard for physical and intangible properties and their protection is typical of Japanese preservation and restoration practices. Methods of protecting designated National Treasures include restrictions on alterations, transfer, and export, as well as financial support in the form of grants and tax reduction. The Agency for Cultural Affairs provides owners with advice on restoration, administration, and public display of the properties. These efforts are supplemented by laws that protect the built environment of designated structures and the necessary techniques for restoration of works.
Kansai, the region of Japan's capitals from ancient times to the 19th century, has the most National Treasures; Kyoto alone has about one in five National Treasures. Fine arts and crafts properties are generally owned privately or are in museums, including national museums such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, public prefectural and city museums, and private museums. Religious items are often housed in temples and Shinto shrines or in an adjacent museum or treasure house.