What Is This Proposal?
Two cities with distinct characters, shaped by the Kaga Domain.
Through the urban landscapes of Kanazawa and Takaoka, we trace the development of cities in early modern
Japan.
Why Propose It as World Heritage?
Early Modern Urban Landscapes Shaped by the Domain
Under the Kaga Domain, Kanazawa and Takaoka developed as cities with different roles.
In Kanazawa, samurai districts, merchant districts, temple districts, and teahouse districts spread around the castle, while Takaoka developed as a town centered on merchants and craftsmen. The streets, townscapes, temples and shrines, and gardens that remain in both cities convey the character of early modern urban planning.
A castle town and a commercial and industrial city.
Two cities with different roles tell the story of the Kaga Domain's vision for urban development.
Details (Early Modern Urban Landscapes Shaped by the Domain)
Kanazawa developed as the political and cultural center of the Kaga Domain, with Kanazawa Castle at its core and a systematically planned castle town built around it. Samurai districts, merchant districts, temple districts, and teahouse districts were arranged according to social status and function, while streets, waterways, and defensive enclosures also shaped the structure of the city.
Takaoka, meanwhile, began as a castle town built by Maeda Toshinaga and later developed as a city supported by commerce and industries such as casting. In areas such as Yamachōsuji and Kanayamachi, historic townscapes dating back to the early modern period remain, reflecting the activities of merchants and craftsmen.
By viewing these two cities with their distinct characters together, we can trace from their surviving urban landscapes how the Kaga Domain developed cities that supported politics, culture, and industry.
Traditional Culture of Early Modern Cities
Cities where people and goods gathered also attracted a wide range of skills and cultures. Against the background of the Kaga Domain's patronage and urban development, Kanazawa cultivated traditions such as crafts and the tea ceremony.
In Takaoka as well, manufacturing industries including casting developed as part of the city's economy, and have been passed down to the present in connection with festivals and traditional crafts.
Urban planning shaped not only the form of the city,
but also the culture and industries of the people who lived there.
Details (Traditional Culture of Early Modern Cities)
Against the background of cultural promotion by the Kaga Domain and urban development, Kanazawa fostered a wide range of traditional crafts, including gold leaf, Kaga Yūzen silk dyeing, Kaga embroidery, and lacquerware. These traditions continue to characterize Kanazawa's urban culture today.
In Takaoka, the casting industry developed under the domain's industrial policies, and crafts such as Takaoka copperware became a leading local industry. Together with the historic townscapes where merchants and craftsmen gathered, they convey the city's industrial culture that has continued since the early modern period.
Festival traditions, represented by the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival, also bring together traditional craftsmanship and a sense of community within the city. These traditions are another important element that tells the history of Kanazawa and Takaoka as early modern cities.
In Kanazawa and Takaoka, the urban structures shaped by the Kaga Domain, along with the cultures and industries that developed within them, have been passed down together with the historic townscapes of today.
A group of heritage sites conveying early modern cities shaped by the domain and the cultures nurtured within them.Comparison with World Heritage Sites
By comparing Kanazawa and Takaoka with historic World Heritage cities, their unique value becomes even clearer. ClickTap the image to see the comparison.
Similarities: Urban culture and cityscapes shaped by political power still remain today
Difference: Vienna was an imperial capital, while Kanazawa & Takaoka were regional domain cities
Similarities: Planned cities combining governance and economy
Difference: Zamość is a Renaissance city, while Kanazawa & Takaoka are Japanese domain cities
Similarities: Urban planning that integrated commerce and administration
Difference: Jaipur was a newly built capital, while Kanazawa & Takaoka evolved through reorganization of existing towns
Similarities: Historic cities where governance and commerce coexisted in East Asia
Difference: Pingyao is a walled city, while Kanazawa & Takaoka are Japanese castle towns without city walls
Next, let us compare them with World Heritage sites in Japan. ClickTap the image to see the comparison.
Similarities: Heritage representing the Edo period
Difference: Nikko is a sacred religious complex, while Kanazawa & Takaoka derive value from their urban landscape itself
Similarities: They preserve the governing structure of the Edo period
Difference: Hikone Castle centers on the fortress, while Kanazawa & Takaoka preserve the value of the entire city
Like Vienna, they are cities of culture. Like Zamość and Jaipur, they reflect planned urban development. Like Pingyao, they unite governance and commerce. Yet what makes Kanazawa & Takaoka unique is that these qualities survive as the urban vision of a Japanese domain, still visible in the landscape today.
Why Kanazawa & Takaoka?
Now let us ask whether the values presented here could be found elsewhere in Japan beyond Kanazawa and Takaoka. The answer is clear: few other places preserve such a complete combination of urban elements.
ClickTap the region below that interests you to compare it with Kanazawa or Takaoka.
Tap △ or × to see a brief explanation.
Kanazawa Compared with Castle Towns Across Japan
Takaoka Compared with Industrial and Commercial Cities Across Japan
Kanazawa stands out even among Japan’s castle towns for preserving a rich variety of urban components. Takaoka likewise remains one of the finest examples of an industrial and commercial city. Even more importantly, both were created by the Kaga Domain, making them an exceptional pair through which domain-level urban policy can still be understood today.
Components of the property
From here, we introduce the component parts that shape this proposal.
These are the key elements that clearly express the value of the cities.
Please note that these are only representative examples, and by no means “the one correct answer.”
Kanazawa
Takaoka
Criteria
Let us now align the values discussed so far with the UNESCO World Heritage selection criteria. This helps clarify the significance of Kanazawa and Takaoka.
Urban Culture of the Kaga Domain
The culture of early modern cities, nurtured under the domain and passed down to the present
In Kanazawa and Takaoka, urban culture that supported the politics and industries of the Kaga Domain has been passed down to the present through townscapes, traditional crafts, and festivals. The culture formed as samurai, merchants, craftsmen, and others each played their respective roles provides valuable evidence of early modern urban society.
Formation of Early Modern Cities
Early modern urban planning demonstrated by two cities with different roles
In Kanazawa, samurai districts, merchant districts, temple districts, and teahouse districts developed around the castle, while Takaoka developed townscapes where merchants and craftsmen gathered. The survival of streets, temples and shrines, gardens, and traditional townhouses as coherent groups concretely demonstrates how the Kaga Domain formed cities that supported politics, culture, and industry.
Continuity of Traditional Culture
Skills and culture nurtured in early modern cities continue to live on today
Kanazawa's traditional crafts, Takaoka's casting traditions, and its festivals all preserve urban culture formed during the early modern period. The continuation of everyday life, skills, and festivals alongside historic townscapes conveys how these historic cities have survived while remaining connected to contemporary culture.
In Closing
The streetscapes that remain in Kanazawa and Takaoka are not merely historical scenery. Within them still lives the urban strategy envisioned by a single domain. In this sense, they can be seen as a model example of domain-led urban planning.
A “World Heritage Site” like this—why not?
