In 1871, the Dajokan (Grand Council of State) issued a proclamation entitled “Methods of Preservation of Ancient Artifacts”, and it was not until the “Law for the Preservation of Ancient Shrines and Temples” enacted in 1897 (30) that a legal form was established for the protection of cultural properties in Japan. This law used the name “national treasure” for the first time for treasures, and national treasures were classified into three categories: A, B, and C. However, the designation of treasures under this law did not apply to temples and shrines. In 1929, the Law for the Preservation of National Treasures was enacted to further expand and develop the Law for the Preservation of Ancient Temples and Shrines, allowing all national, public, and private properties to be designated as national treasures, in addition to those owned by temples and shrines. Therefore, in principle, national treasures, even those owned by individuals, were prohibited from being transported overseas, and a notification system was also adopted for changes in ownership.
In 1933, the “Law Concerning the Preservation of Important Art Objects” was promulgated, and measures were taken to prevent the outflow of objects designated as Important Art Objects, which are equivalent to National Treasures. In January 1949, a fire broke out in the Golden Hall of Horyuji Temple, which triggered a strong demand for administrative measures for the preservation of cultural properties, and the following year the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was enacted. The Law was passed the following year, and the old laws were absorbed into this law, and the fields of folklore materials and intangible cultural properties were added to the scope of protection. The Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties defines tangible cultural properties in Article 2 as “buildings, paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, writings, classic books, ancient documents, other tangible cultural properties of high historical or artistic value to Japan, and archaeological materials,” and in Article 27 the Cultural Properties Protection Commission “may designate important tangible cultural properties as important cultural properties. Article 27 also stipulates that the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Properties “may designate important tangible cultural properties as important cultural properties” and “may designate important cultural properties that are of high value from the standpoint of world culture and are unparalleled national treasures as national treasures. In addition, the Act also designates as Important Cultural Properties those properties recognized as Important Art Objects, etc., of which the most important are designated as Important Cultural Properties, and other properties that had not been designated as Important Cultural Properties in the past as of December 1, 1960 (35). As of December 1, 1960, the total number of Important Cultural Properties was 9037, of which 931 were newly designated as National Treasures.
