4 People Recommended as Living National Treasures in Japan

Tokyo, July 17 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Council for Cultural Affairs on Friday recommended that culture minister Yohei Matsumoto designate four individuals including "nagauta narimono" traditional Japanese theater music performer Tosha Shuho as holders of important intangible cultural properties, commonly known as living national treasures.

Following the death in February of Tosha Meisho, Shuho's elder brother and the only holder of the important intangible cultural property of nagauta narimono, the designation was temporarily lifted because no holder remained.

The reason for the latest recommendation is that Shuho, 79, not only has many awards for his performance but also contributed to training future generations in the field, including teaching how to play Japanese flute at the Tokyo University of the Arts and in traditional entertainment districts in Kanazawa in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa, the council said. His real name is Yoshio Yoshida.

The other three candidates are "kiyomotobushi joruri" traditional Japanese narrative music performer Kiyomoto Yoshijudayu, or Yoshihiro Koyanagi, 83; Masado Fujita, 67, an artisan of "kinma," a technique used in "urushi" Japanese lacquer; and Masatoyo Miyoshi, or Mitsumasa Miyoshi, 75, an artisan of "tankin" metal hammering. If the four are designated, there will be 109 living national treasures in the country.

The council also requested that five people including Suketsugu Ozasa, 63, an architect of "hyosogire" woven material decoration, be certified as holders of selected preservation techniques, essential for the maintenance of cultural properties. The council also recommended registering an organization that preserves techniques for making traditional fans.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]