The iconic Tower of the Sun in Osaka Prefecture is set to be designated an Important Cultural Property, while a historic canal complex connecting Kyoto with Lake Biwako will be recognized as a National Treasure.
An expert panel of the Cultural Affairs Agency submitted its proposal to the culture minister on May 16.
Standing approximately 70 meters tall, the Tower of the Sun was created by artist Taro Okamoto in Suita as the centerpiece of the 1970 Osaka Expo.
The top engineers of the time skillfully met the complex challenge of translating Okamoto’s extraordinary ideas into a massive physical structure.
An original plan to demolish the distinctive monument after the expo was overturned following public opposition.
The tower has since established itself not only as the artist’s best-known work but also as a nostalgic symbol of the world’s fair, held at the height of Japan’s postwar economic boom.
Its interior, featuring artistic installations, has been open to visitors since 2018.
Built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Lake Biwako Canal was crucial to Kyoto’s modernization following the official relocation of Japan’s capital to Tokyo.
Spanning Kyoto and neighboring Otsu, the canal facilitated water transport, hydroelectric power generation and a municipal water supply for the ancient capital.
Of the associated structures, 24 will be designated Important Cultural Properties. Five of these, all early large-scale facilities, are now poised to become National Treasures.
These include Suirokaku, a 14-arch aqueduct near Nanzenji temple; the Keage Incline railway, which connects two canals; and the First Tunnel, the longest in Japan at the time, measuring 2,436 meters.
Hailed as the pinnacle in urban infrastructure projects of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), these will be the first modern civil engineering works to receive National Treasure status.
AloJapan.com