Selected intangible properties of folk culture (選択無形民俗文化財)
Selected intangible properties of folk culture refers to an intangible cultural property (except important intangible folk cultural properties), which is allowed to receive financial aid at public cost to cover a part of the expense to record, preserve, and exhibit. The cultural properties are selected by the Director-General of the Agency for Cultural Affairs based on the report of the Council for Cultural Affairs.
Summary
The director-general of the Agency for Cultural Affairs may select especially needed properties among immaterial folk cultural properties except important intangible folk cultural properties, and may produce records, store or exhibit them. The state may financially support appropriate persons to cover a part of the expense to exhibit, record and preserve the intangible folk cultural properties (Article 77 applied with Article 91 of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties). What was selected by the director-general of the Agency for Cultural Affairs according to this regulation is called selected intangible properties of folk culture.
The selected intangible properties of folk culture is a common name, which indicates the intangible folk cultural properties selected based on the regulation, and is not a legal term. Officially, they are called intangible folk cultural properties selected for measures such as recording. Regarding classification of cultural properties, refer to the article on cultural properties.
Selection criteria
The selection criteria for intangible folk cultural properties selected for measures such as recording is stipulated as follows.
1. Important manners and customs that are applicable to one of the following
(1) One that shows typical features of Japanese foundational life and culture in origin, details, etc. (2) An annual event or event held in a festival, a memorial service, etc. that shows the foundation of performing arts.
2. Important folk performing arts that are applicable to one of the following
(1) What shows origination or formation of performing arts. (2) What shows the transition process of performing arts. (3) What shows the regional characteristics.
3. Important folk technologies that are applicable to one of the following
(1) What shows origination or formation of technologies. (2) What shows the transition process of technologies. (3) What shows the regional characteristics. 4. Immaterial folk cultural properties that are not applicable to the above three numbers yet are especially necessary in order to understand the characteristics of important tangible folk cultural properties. 5. Foreign immaterial folk cultural properties that are Stipulated in the previous numbers and especially important in connection with Japanese people's lives and cultures.
Conditions selection
Based on 'the selection criteria for intangible folk cultural properties selected for measures such as recording, the director-general of the Agency for Cultural Affairs selects 'intangible folk cultural properties selected for measures such as recording' (commonly known as 'selected intangible properties of folk culture') and supports a local public entity's research project and record making project. The 'folk technology' was added to the area of intangible folk cultural properties in the Revised Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, enacted in 2005. Accompanying to the revision, 'Nakatsugawa technique to make a dam to convey wood' was selected first as a folk technology in 2008.
By March 13, 2008, the following 572 entities have been selected.
Manners and customs
Production and regular vocation (49 entities)
Life and ceremony (15 entities)
Entertainment and games (14 entities)
Social life (folk knowledge) (15 entities)
Annual events (40 entities)
Rites and festivals (religious belief) (89 entities)
Others (0 entities)
Folk performing arts
Kagura (sacred music and dancing performed at shrines) (59 entities)
Dengaku Dance (ritual music and dancing performed in association with rice planting) (42 entities)
Furyu Dance (folk art) (116 entities)
Narrative and entertainment for blessing (8 entities)
Ennen Dance (singing and dancing performed by priests and pages after Buddhist services in temple) and Okonai (ceremonies for a good harvest) (14 entities)
Entertainment that came from abroad and entertainment for stages (75 entities)
Others (35 entities)
Folk technology
Production and regular vocation (1 entity)
Others (0 entities)