Japan to nominate Hikone Castle for 2028 World Heritage listing

The Japanese council for cultural affairs has chosen Hikone Castle, a national treasure, as a candidate for submission to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2028. The government intends to submit the nomination dossier to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization by February 1, 2029. Hikone Castle, constructed in the 17th century by the Ii clan near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, serves as tangible evidence of a daimyo governance system that is unparalleled overseas.

The castle's preservation through protective measures has been exemplary, making it one of the best-preserved castles in Japan, including its defensive sections and the lord’s residential area. These features represent the political system of the Edo Period (1603-1868), wherein feudal lords, known as daimyo, governed in consultation with senior vassals.

Hikone Castle was included on the tentative list for future nomination in 1992, but progress was halted when Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture was listed as a World Heritage site the following year. The revised nomination draft, submitted by the prefectural government and the city of Hikone in May, sought to highlight its unique value and features to distinguish it from Himeji Castle.

If the process continues without significant obstacles, the World Heritage Committee is set to evaluate the castle's nomination and determine its inclusion on the World Heritage List in the summer of 2028. Built on the orders of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hikone Castle survived demolition after Emperor Meiji visited Hikone in 1878 and ordered its preservation.