Photo/Illutration Local officials aim to have Hikone Castle in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List by 2027 at the earliest. (Kenta Sujino)

HIKONE, Shiga Prefecture—Hikone Castle, a prominent 17th-century structure here, has received a positive preliminary evaluation for UNESCO World Heritage status, the Cultural Affairs Agency announced on Oct. 9.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, has supported Japan’s nomination strategy that emphasizes the castle’s role in sustaining the feudal system during the Edo Period (1603-1867).

However, the organization has suggested that a more comprehensive approach, potentially involving other castles, might be necessary to fully demonstrate the significance of the era’s governance system.

While a single-castle nomination is still possible, it would require a more robust presentation of Hikone Castle’s significance within the network of daimyo feudal lords united under the national ruler, the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The prefecture currently plans to proceed with a nomination for Hikone Castle alone.

“It’s a huge step for us that the castle has been evaluated as having outstanding universal value and potential for World Heritage listing,” said Shiga Governor Taizo Mikazuki.

He added that the ICOMOS’s feedback will be valuable in refining the nomination.

The preliminary assessment is a new initiative designed to provide technical and expert advice to countries before they formally submit their nominations.

It will become mandatory for nominations submitted from 2027 onward. Hikone Castle is the first site in Japan to undergo this process.

Achieving World Heritage status requires several steps, including selection as a domestic candidate by the Council for Cultural Affairs.

While the earliest possible registration date for Hikone Castle is 2027, a joint nomination with other castles could delay the process.

The current evaluation by the ICOMOS is valid for five years, meaning Japan must submit a formal nomination within this period or undergo a new preliminary assessment.

Hikone Castle was first added to UNESCO’s tentative list of properties suitable for the World Heritage List in 1992.

The popular tourist site features a keep, which is designated a national treasure, moats, stone walls, a garden and the remains of a palace and residences for high-ranking samurai.

The complex is the only remaining example of an Edo Period castle where all these structures have been preserved together, according to the city of Hikone.

However, the World Heritage registration of Himeji Castle in 1993 has made it challenging to differentiate Hikone Castle as a unique example of a Japanese castle from the same era.

The latest preliminary assessment follows the decision by Japanese officials to develop a fresh approach for the nomination strategy for Hikone Castle.

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