After nearly 300 years since the period of the Goin-in-ship, in 1990, the International Conference on Hoi An Ancient Town marked the return of the Japanese in the journey of cooperation in research and preservation of Hoi An's cultural heritage, along with 60 scholars from Poland, the Netherlands, Canada, Thailand, the United States, Australia and Vietnam.
The first Japanese to research Hoi An
According to Professor Kikuchi Seiichi (Showa Women's University, Japan), since the Meiji period (1868 - 1912), Japanese researchers have conducted investigations on Japanese streets in Southeast Asian countries.
In 1909, Kojima Masanori came to Hoi An to study “Japanese Overseas” (Chua Cau) and the Japanese graves there. In 1922, Segawa Kame came to Hoi An to study the sites related to “Japanese Street” (Tung Ban Dinh) and wrote an article introducing Hoi An in the Japanese press at that time.
In 1928, Kuroita Katsumi and Iwao Seiichi came to Hoi An to research relics related to the Japanese. They surveyed and restored Japanese graves in Hoi An; studied the Pho Da Son Linh Trung Phat stele (dated 1640) on the Hoa Nghiem cave wall in Ngu Hanh Son, which has engraved names of Japanese people who contributed money to build the statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. In 1933, Matsumoto Nobuhiro continued to come to Hoi An to research relics related to Japan here.
According to the assessment of Prof. Dr. Kikuchi Seiichi, among the Japanese scholars who came to study Hoi An in the early 20th century, Iwao Seiichi was the one who left the most achievements. He researched many aspects such as: location, scale, administrative organization, main characters, economic activities... of the Japanese in Hoi An in the late 16th - early 17th century, and published them on academic forums in Japan.
The international conference on Hoi An ancient town held in March 1990 opened a turning point in the research on Hoi An. In 1991, the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency (Monbusho) sent experts to study the current state of Hoi An ancient town and established a research cooperation relationship with the local government.
Arguments for the legacy file
Since 1992, the Institute of International Cultural Studies (Showa Women's University) has begun to conduct surveys of Hoi An ancient town in the fields of geography, geology, history, archaeology, culture, architecture... and build the project "Preserving Hoi An ancient town".
This institute has become a center for gathering scholars from many universities, research institutes and scientific centers in Japan to participate in the study of Hoi An history and culture. It is also the focal point for mobilizing funds for the project “Preserving Hoi An Ancient Town”.
In 1996, a scientific conference on the conservation plan for Hoi An ancient town was held in this ancient town. At the same time, the Japanese side also organized annual conferences in Tokyo, with the participation of representatives of Japanese and Vietnamese management agencies and scientists to evaluate the progress of the project "Conservation of Hoi An ancient town".
In the field, from 1993 to 1998, the International Institute of Cultural Studies sent teams of archaeological experts from Japan to Hoi An to investigate and excavate sites located in the "core area" of the ancient town of Hoi An.
The results of these excavations have helped Japanese and Vietnamese scientists and conservationists visualize the time when Hoi An residents began settling in the old town area, the places of residence in the 17th century, as well as the changes of the old town from the past to the present.
After a decade of “re”researching Hoi An (1990 - 1999), the results of specialized and interdisciplinary research on Hoi An by Japanese scientists have provided a rich database, allowing for a gradual increase in awareness of the historical depth as well as the diverse values of the ancient town of Hoi An. These are also scientific arguments for the dossier submitted to UNESCO to recognize Hoi An as a World Cultural Heritage in 1999.
After Hoi An became a World Cultural Heritage, the Japanese continued to accompany Hoi An in preserving and promoting the value of tangible and intangible cultural heritages in Hoi An, through research cooperation programs, cultural exchanges and promoting the image of Hoi An to the world, especially in Japan.
Community Engagement
In 2022, the project to restore the Chua Cau relic, chaired by the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation, will be implemented. This restoration project has an investment cost of 20.2 billion VND, invested by Quang Nam and Hoi An City, with funding from the Sumitomo Foundation and professional support from consultants of JICA (Japan).
On August 3, 2024, the restoration project of the Japanese Covered Bridge was inaugurated during the 20th Vietnam - Japan Cultural Week. In addition to preserving a particularly important relic of Hoi An, this is also a good mark of the relationship between Hoi An in particular, Quang Nam in general and Japan in cooperation in research and conservation of cultural heritage.
Japan’s funding projects for the conservation of Hoi An ancient town over the past 35 years have produced profound and comprehensive results in many aspects. The viewpoint of preserving the authenticity of the heritage by keeping intact the architectural, cultural and historical elements in Hoi An, meeting international heritage conservation standards, has raised the position of Hoi An on the heritage map.
In addition, thanks to effective cooperation in the field of cultural heritage, the tourism attraction of Hoi An, especially for Japanese tourists, has increased significantly. Not to mention, cultural exchange programs also contribute to connecting the community with heritage, encouraging local communities to directly participate in conservation activities and tourism development.
Through cooperation, Japan has also shared techniques and technology for preserving cultural heritage, and participated in training human resources in the field of preserving and managing cultural heritage in Hoi An and Quang Nam.
The Japanese support for Hoi An does not stop at heritage conservation. Resonant values are opened up in all fields, contributing to spreading Hoi An's cultural values to the world.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/noi-dai-tinh-bang-giao-viet-nhat-3148444.html
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