Kanazawa City and Takaoka City, which have Shinkansen stations in the Hokuriku region, have historic districts that still convey the prosperity of that time, just like Vienna, Austria. The stories that can be told from these cultural assets meet the criteria for World Heritage registration.
Applicable registration criteria
| (ⅱ)Interchange | ： | A typical urban plan developed from exchanges in early modern Japan |
| (ⅲ)Culture/Civilization | ： | Examples of townscapes and industries developed under the domain governments of each region |
| (ⅳ)Architecture/Technology | ： | A representative example of urban landscape in early modern Japan |
| (ⅵ)Tradition, Religion, and Art | ： | Traditional crafts and festivals nurtured in early modern cities |
Now, let's take a closer look at the registration criteria and the contents mentioned in the overview!
And this is the cityscape of the time of the samurai.
1:Story
（Reasons why it is worthy of being a World Heritage Site）
●Representative Examples of Early Modern Japanese Townscapes
Castle Town
Kanazawa, which flourished as one of Japan's leading cities in the early modern period, is a castle town whose urban development was centered around Kanazawa Castle.
Generally, a castle town in Japan refers to a town with a castle at its center, with neighborhoods divided into sections for different occupations around it. However, the type of neighborhood division varies depending on the population size, and there are many different types of neighborhood divisions in general. In fact, research into the categorization of castle town structures in Japan has yet to be established. Despite this, Kanazawa has more types of neighborhood divisions than other regions, and its large population makes it a worthy model city.
In particular, the samurai towns, townspeople's towns, temple towns, and teahouse towns preserve the landscape of the castle town era to this day.
Related Cultural Properties：
Kanazawa's Cultural Landscape・Nagamachi Samurai District・Tera-machi Temple District・Utatsu-yama Temple District・Higashi Chaya District・Kazue-machi Chaya District
Other structures that remain include the "Sogamae" and waterways that ran throughout the castle town. The "Sogamae" are double earthen ramparts and moats that were constructed around the castle town for defensive purposes. The waterways played a variety of roles, including defense, transportation, fire prevention, and snow melting. Both are essential when talking about the castle town.
Related Cultural Properties：
Kanazawa's Cultural Landscape・Tatusmi Waterway
One of Kanazawa's defining featuresa is that both residential areas and defense facilities remain.
Commercial and industrial Town
Takaoka, on the other hand, was developed as a commercial and industrial city, rather than a castle town.
Takaoka had merchant and craftsman district established along its main roads, which supported the town's economy.
Related Cultural Properties：
Yama-machi-suji・Kanaya-machi
Meanwhile, in the suburbs, the rural towns that developed as rice collection centers and the temples that contributed greatly to the town's development remain unchanged to this day.
Related Cultural Properties：
Yoshihisa・Syōkō-ji
One of Takaoka's defining features is that it still retains many elements that contributed to the town's development.
●Domain administration and domain lords in Early Modern Japan
Both Kanazawa and Takaoka were part of the Kaga Domain, one of Japan's most economically powerful domains in the early modern period.
The Kaga Domain oversaw everything from planning to execution to develop Kanazawa into a castle town and Takaoka into a commercial and industrial city.
Kanazawa Castle served as their base.
Related Cultural Properties：
Kanazawa Castle Ruins・Takaoka Castle Ruins
The Kaga Maeda family lived in this castle.
Many cultural assets related to them remain in Kanazawa and Takaoka.
The most symbolic of these is Kenrokuen Garden, a daimyo garden and one of Japan's three most famous gardens.
This is so famous that no further explanation is needed.
In any case, it is the very model of a daimyo garden.
Related Cultural Properties：
Kenroku-en・Seison-Kaku
The cemeteries of the Kaga Maeda clan are also located in Kanazawa and Takaoka.
In Takaoka in particular, Zuiryu-ji Temple, the family temple dedicated to the domain lord,
remains as it was back then, and the main hall and other buildings have been designated as national treasures.
Related Cultural Properties：
Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain・Zuiryu-ji
Kanazawa and Takaoka are remarkable for the abundance of cultural assets related to daimyo.
●Crafts Culture of Early Modern Japan
The most notable value of both Kanazawa and Takaoka is their crafts culture.
The Kaga Maeda clan focused their vast fortune on arts and crafts culture rather than investing it in military affairs.
As a result, the Kaga region became a center of arts and crafts culture that represents Japan, producing many traditional crafts that are highly acclaimed around the world.
And Takaoka still has a traditional festival that brings together these cultures and crafts.
That festival is the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival.
This festival has been held since the town of Takaoka was established in the Edo period,
and the floats showcase the best of the techniques cultivated in Takaoka.
Due to their artistic and historical value,
they have been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
●Summary
The above information can be summarized in the following figure:
Kanazawa and Takaoka are rich in cultural assets that convey the landscape of early modern cities.
Considering the quality of the crafts produced there, it can truly be said to be a cultural asset that we can be proud of around the world!
2:Examples of constituent heritage sites
There are eighteen in total.
Asset Name
Type
1
Kanazawa Castle Ruins
Castle
2
Takaoka Castle Ruins
Castle
3
Kenroku-en
domain lord garden
4
Seison-Kaku
domain lord garden/Maeda family cultural properties
5
Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain
Maeda family cultural properties/Grave
6
Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain
Maeda family cultural properties/Grave
7
Zuiryu-ji
Maeda family cultural properties/Temple
8
Tatusmi Waterway
Waterway
9
Nagamachi Samurai District
Samurai Distric
10
Higashi Chaya District
“Chaya” District
11
Kazue-machi Chaya District
“Chaya” District
12
Utatsu-yama Temple District
Temple District
13
Tera-machi Temple District
Temple District
14
Kanazawa's Cultural Landscape
Cultural landscape of the castle town
15
Yama-machi-suji
Merchant District
16
Kanaya-machi
Artisan District
17
Yoshihisa
Zaigo-machi district
18
Syōkō-ji
Jinai-machi district/Temple
3:Gallery (Click or tap to enlarge the photo)
1:Kanazawa Castle Ruins
3:Kenroku-en
5:Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain
7:Zuiryu-ji
9:Nagamachi Samurai District
10:Higashi Chaya District
11:Kazue-machi Chaya District
12:Teramachi Temple District
15:Yama-machi-suji
16:Kanaya-machi
17:Yoshihisa
18:Syōkō-ji
4:Similar World Heritage Sites
Historic Centre of Vienna [Austria]
It is a historic city that developed as the capital of the Habsburg dynasty,
a central figure in Europe.
In addition to the historic district that retains vestiges of the 19th century,
centered around the State Opera and City Hall,
it is also highly regarded for its development as a center of European music and art culture,
as exemplified by Mozart and Beethoven.
Old City of Sana'a [Yemen]
It is a walled city that retains the strong vestiges of a medieval Arabian city.
Due to the country's low incidence of earthquakes and its isolationist policy,
over 100 mosques, 64 minarets (towers), over 6,000 high-rise residential buildings,
and souks (markets) remain as they were in the Middle Ages.
Ancient City of Pingyao [China]
Within the city walls built before Christ, streets, government offices, shops,
and private homes from the Ming and Qing dynasties remain as they were in the past.
The fact that the original forms of the prefectural castles built throughout China
during this period remain is also similar to Kanazawa and Takaoka!
5:Images
6:External links
Both Kanazawa and Takaoka were part of the Kaga Domain, one of Japan's most economically powerful domains in the early modern period.
The Kaga Domain oversaw everything from planning to execution to develop Kanazawa into a castle town and Takaoka into a commercial and industrial city.
Kanazawa Castle served as their base.
Related Cultural Properties：
Kanazawa Castle Ruins・Takaoka Castle Ruins
The Kaga Maeda family lived in this castle. Many cultural assets related to them remain in Kanazawa and Takaoka. The most symbolic of these is Kenrokuen Garden, a daimyo garden and one of Japan's three most famous gardens. This is so famous that no further explanation is needed. In any case, it is the very model of a daimyo garden.
Related Cultural Properties：
Kenroku-en・Seison-Kaku
The cemeteries of the Kaga Maeda clan are also located in Kanazawa and Takaoka. In Takaoka in particular, Zuiryu-ji Temple, the family temple dedicated to the domain lord, remains as it was back then, and the main hall and other buildings have been designated as national treasures.
Related Cultural Properties：
Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain・Zuiryu-ji
Kanazawa and Takaoka are remarkable for the abundance of cultural assets related to daimyo.
The most notable value of both Kanazawa and Takaoka is their crafts culture.
The Kaga Maeda clan focused their vast fortune on arts and crafts culture rather than investing it in military affairs. As a result, the Kaga region became a center of arts and crafts culture that represents Japan, producing many traditional crafts that are highly acclaimed around the world.
And Takaoka still has a traditional festival that brings together these cultures and crafts. That festival is the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival. This festival has been held since the town of Takaoka was established in the Edo period, and the floats showcase the best of the techniques cultivated in Takaoka. Due to their artistic and historical value, they have been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The above information can be summarized in the following figure:
Kanazawa and Takaoka are rich in cultural assets that convey the landscape of early modern cities. Considering the quality of the crafts produced there, it can truly be said to be a cultural asset that we can be proud of around the world!
There are eighteen in total.
| Asset Name | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanazawa Castle Ruins | Castle |
| 2 | Takaoka Castle Ruins | Castle |
| 3 | Kenroku-en | domain lord garden |
| 4 | Seison-Kaku | domain lord garden/Maeda family cultural properties |
| 5 | Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain | Maeda family cultural properties/Grave |
| 6 | Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain | Maeda family cultural properties/Grave |
| 7 | Zuiryu-ji | Maeda family cultural properties/Temple |
| 8 | Tatusmi Waterway | Waterway |
| 9 | Nagamachi Samurai District | Samurai Distric |
| 10 | Higashi Chaya District | “Chaya” District |
| 11 | Kazue-machi Chaya District | “Chaya” District |
| 12 | Utatsu-yama Temple District | Temple District |
| 13 | Tera-machi Temple District | Temple District |
| 14 | Kanazawa's Cultural Landscape | Cultural landscape of the castle town |
| 15 | Yama-machi-suji | Merchant District |
| 16 | Kanaya-machi | Artisan District |
| 17 | Yoshihisa | Zaigo-machi district |
| 18 | Syōkō-ji | Jinai-machi district/Temple |
1:Kanazawa Castle Ruins
3:Kenroku-en
5:Graveyard of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga domain
7:Zuiryu-ji
9:Nagamachi Samurai District
10:Higashi Chaya District
11:Kazue-machi Chaya District
12:Teramachi Temple District
15:Yama-machi-suji
16:Kanaya-machi
17:Yoshihisa
18:Syōkō-ji
Historic Centre of Vienna [Austria]
It is a historic city that developed as the capital of the Habsburg dynasty, a central figure in Europe. In addition to the historic district that retains vestiges of the 19th century, centered around the State Opera and City Hall, it is also highly regarded for its development as a center of European music and art culture, as exemplified by Mozart and Beethoven.
Old City of Sana'a [Yemen]
It is a walled city that retains the strong vestiges of a medieval Arabian city. Due to the country's low incidence of earthquakes and its isolationist policy, over 100 mosques, 64 minarets (towers), over 6,000 high-rise residential buildings, and souks (markets) remain as they were in the Middle Ages.
Ancient City of Pingyao [China]
Within the city walls built before Christ, streets, government offices, shops, and private homes from the Ming and Qing dynasties remain as they were in the past. The fact that the original forms of the prefectural castles built throughout China during this period remain is also similar to Kanazawa and Takaoka!
This page was uploaded on February 2, 2026