Art Forgotten · Huang Goodman

Art from public museum collections. A mismatched real Japanese law, and some other factoids.

Every object, image and description comes from the museum's own catalogue record, and every object links to its original. Japanese records are machine-translated into English; the museum's Japanese is kept beside the translation because it is the authoritative form. Each law carries its official number and links to e-Gov 法令検索, the Japanese government's statute database.

{狭衣物語[狭衣物語絵巻] 残欠 · 東京文化財研究所撮影 · 1940年 · Japan Search · 国立国会図書館}

Title: "Story of a Sparrow Cloth [Sparrow Cloth Picture Roll]" Missing and Incomplete [ The following is a description of various parts and fragments of the "Sparrow Cloth Picture Roll." Due to its incomplete state, certain sections are missing or damaged, leaving gaps in the narrative.] 1. The Prologue: Introducing the Sparrow Cloth [A description of the origins and significance of the Sparrow Cloth, which serves as the backdrop for the events depicted in the picture roll.] 2. The Village Scene: Daily Life [A depiction of village life, with various scenes of daily activities and interactions between the villagers.] 3. The Sparrow's Arrival [A description of the arrival of the sparrow, which heralds the beginning of a series of events.] 4. The Festival [A portrayal of a vibrant village festival, filled with music, dance, and merriment.] 5. The Sparrow and the Farmer [A tale of the farmer's encounter with the sparrow and the unusual bond that forms between them.] 6. The Sparrow and the Weaver [A description of the weaver's encounter with the sparrow and the impact it has on his work.] 7. The Sparrow and the Traveler [An account of the traveler's encounter with the sparrow and the role it plays in his journey.] 8. The Sparrow and the Healer [A story of the healer's encounter with the sparrow and the healing power it represents.] 9. The Sparrow's Departure [A description of the sparrow's departure from the village and the emotions it leaves behind.] 10. The Epilogue: The Legacy of the Sparrow Cloth [A reflection · Tokyo Cultural Heritage Research Institute Photography

The Tokyo National Museum holds a "Choju Giga Scroll Fragments" glass plate photograph (institution management number: A-26), taken at the Tokyo Cultural Property Research Institute in 1940. Information about the title and such is written based on the investigation records at the time of photographing. For the current information about the title and such, please check with the relevant preservation institutions.

東京国立博物館が所蔵する「狭衣物語絵巻断簡」（機関管理番号：A-26）を東京文化財研究所で1940年に撮影したガラス乾板です。作品名等の情報は撮影時の調査記録を元に記載しております。現在の作品名等については各所蔵機関の情報をご確認ください。

View the original at Japan Search →

The law

古都における歴史的風土の保存に関する特別措置法

Act on Preservation of Historical Landscape in Ancient Capitals

昭和四十一年法律第一号 · Act No. 1 of 1966

It protects not the buildings but the setting that holds them. Article 2 defines historic landscape as land where structures and remains of historical significance form a single whole with the surrounding natural environment, which is the legal way of saying the hills, the approaches and the sightlines. The ancient capitals are Kyoto, Nara and Kamakura, plus any other municipality added by Cabinet Order. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism designates a preservation area; city planning then carves a Special Preservation District over its core, and inside that district an owner needs permission from the prefectural governor to build, to fell timber, or to change the shape of the ground.

The cool part. It legislates the view, and then it pays for it. Article 10 requires the prefecture to compensate an owner who suffers loss because permission was refused. Article 12 goes further: where refusal seriously impairs the use of the land, the owner can require the prefecture to buy it, at market value. So the state does not merely tell you what the horizon behind a temple may look like. It agrees to purchase the land rather than let the skyline change. Two more things worth knowing. The prefecture must physically sign the district boundary, and a landowner may not obstruct the sign without just cause. And the ministry holding the pen is Transport, not Culture.

Verify at e-Gov 法令検索 →

Use it The border is the idea. Use it as an edge treatment and leave the centre empty.

Description source: museum curator text, translated — not generated