Bunkazai Bōka Day

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Hōryū-ji main hall

The Bunkazai Bōka Day ( Japanese 文化 財 防火 デ ー , ~ Dē , dt. "Day of fire protection for cultural goods") is a Japanese memorial day that takes place every year on January 26th . The day of remembrance pursues two goals: on the one hand, to protect cultural assets in the event of a disaster, i.e. in the event of a fire, earthquake, etc., and, on the other hand, to raise awareness for the protection of monuments in the Japanese population. He was founded in 1955 by the “Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property” ( 文化 財 保護 委員会 , bunkazai hogo iinkai , today: Bunka-chō ) and the “State Central Office for Fire Protection” ( 国家 消防 本部 , kokka shōbō honbu , today: Shōbō-chō , Fire and Disaster Management Agency , FDMA).

background

On January 26, 1949 , a fire broke out in the main hall of the world's oldest wooden structure, the Hōryū-ji , which irretrievably destroyed a large part of the valuable wall paintings from the Asuka period inside the temple. The fire of the Hōryū-ji, which defied natural disasters for centuries and which survived the Second World War unscathed, met with great echo not only in the Japanese press and public; The foreign press, such as the Japanese branch of the London Times, reported on this misfortune and reproachfully lamented the miserable handling of such treasures, which resulted in the loss of this cultural asset.

In addition, three Tsutsui gates ( 筒 井 門 ) of Matsuyama Castle burned down in Ehime Prefecture in February of the same year , and two main towers of Matsumae Castle in Sapporo in June . In 1949 three cultural treasures were destroyed by fires within six months. These incidents were among other things the reason for the enactment of the Cultural Property Protection Act of 1950.

In 1955, an administration for the protection of cultural property was set up, whose committee, together with the Central Office for Fire Protection, launched the memorial day. The date, which is apparently connected to the fire of the Hōryū-ji, is also due to the fact that most fires break out in winter. Since then, fire-fighting exercises and fire-fighting measures have been carried out nationwide on this day every year with the participation of the Bunka-chō, the fire department, the education committee and the owners of cultural property. In addition , the installation of fire alarms and sprinkler systems is supported by state subsidies in structures that have been declared a national treasure. By 2008, no national treasures had caught fire. Up to 2004, nominally the 50th anniversary of the "Fire Protection Day", 54 groups were honored with the "Award for Services to the Fire Protection of Cultural Property" ( 文化 財 防火 功 労 賞 , bunkazai bōka kōrōshō ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 文化 財 防火 デ ー の 契機 と な っ た 法 隆 寺 金堂 火災 (The fire in the main hall of Hōryū-ji as the occasion for Bunkazai bōka Day ). Tokyo Fire Department , accessed October 4, 2012 (Japanese, 1997–2012).

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