Kyoto's old town houses added to World Monuments Fund list

NEW YORK — The World Monuments Fund earlier this month announced Kyoto's traditional town houses, called "machiya," were added to 92 other sites that are at risk of disappearing in 47 countries.

Two worlds: A traditional "machiya" town house is dwarfed by high-rises in Kyoto. COURTESY OF THE WORLD MONUMENTS FUND

Kyoto was one of the few Japanese cities that survived World War II undamaged, with many of its machiya remaining intact. The wooden town houses, however, are fast disappearing as they are replaced by newer, denser construction that is "diminishing the architectural and cultural history of the Kyoto cityscape and traditional way of life," according to a statement released by the WMF.

"Those that survive are being lost to development," said Henry Ng, the WMF's executive vice president in a recent telephone interview. "The machiya is like the 'hutong' of Beijing and are models not only for other cities in Japan, but for preservation in the world," he said.

Kyoto's machiya stand out for their utilization of space for commercial and residential purposes. Some date as far back as the early 1600s and were constructed so that merchants and craftspeople could work and live under a single roof.

Ng also explained how efforts by the Kyomachiya Revitalization Study Group, which submitted the application for the Kyoto machiya to be considered for the watch list, were effective.

The group came to New York and Boston to learn about American preservation efforts last year and stressed the significance, urgency and the viability of their plan to preserve the machiya, which is believed to have helped to get them on the WMF list.

"We were very impressed with their diligence," Ng added. "Being on the watch list would help in many ways."

The WMF watch list, which began in 1996, shines a global spotlight on cultural heritage sites under threat from neglect, vandalism, conflict or disaster and serves as a platform to raise public awareness. The watch list is issued every two years.

In 2002 and 2004, Tomonoura in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, was listed. The area has harbor facilities from the Edo Period (1603-1867) and spectacular scenery that was the inspiration for Academy Award-winning movie director Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated film, "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" ("Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea").

As one of the WMF's so-called success stories, the listing was said to be instrumental in educating the public about how the intended construction of a landfill and bridge would radically alter the waterfront and destroy its historic character.

After seven years and a historic Hiroshima District Court decision to block a public works plan, the preservation efforts won out.

"The 2010 Watch makes it clear that cultural heritage efforts in the 21st century must recognize the critical importance of sustainable stewardship, and that we must work closely with local partners to create viable and appropriate opportunities to advance this," the WMF's president, Bonnie Burnham, said in a press statement.

Also on the list are other sites in Asia, including Phajoding, a monastery in Bhutan, the 16th century rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, and 50,000 ancient petroglyphs in Pakistan's northern areas that will be flooded by the construction of the Diamer-Basha Dam.

Other sites, including the al-Hadba Minaret in Mosul, Iraq, and a cemetery and elementary school in New Orleans have also been watch-listed due to threats from conflict and natural disaster.

The WMF is the leading independent organization dedicated to saving the world's most-treasured places.