Japan to Promote Registration of Goryeo Daejanggyeong Woodblock Prints as World Documentary Heritage

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The Japanese government’s move to register the Goryeo Tripitaka woodblock prints held at a Tokyo temple as a UNESCO Memory of the World heritage is expected to spark controversy.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 30th, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has selected the "Three Buddhist Scriptures Collections" held by the Tokyo temple "Zojoji (增上寺)" and photos and videos depicting the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as candidates to be nominated for the 2025 UNESCO Memory of the World registration.

The appearance of Jojoji Temple in Tokyo, Japan, which houses the Goryeo Tripitaka woodblock prints. (Photo by Jojoji SNS)

The Zojoji "Three Buddhist Scriptures Collections" are Buddhist printed materials made from Tripitaka woodblocks from the Southern Song Dynasty of China (12th century), the Yuan Dynasty (13th century), and Korea’s Goryeo Dynasty (13th century).

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology explained the background for promoting the registration, stating, "These prints were collected by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established the Edo Shogunate, and donated to Zojoji. While many Tripitaka woodblocks were scattered and lost due to dynastic changes and wars, having three Tripitaka collections made before the 15th century almost completely intact is unprecedented in the world."

The Japanese government plans to submit the nomination application to UNESCO within this year. It is possible to apply for registration of records that originated in other countries.

However, the Japanese side’s application to register the Goryeo Tripitaka woodblock prints, which are part of Korea’s cultural heritage, is expected to face opposition from the Korean Buddhist community and others.

Japan had already applied for the UNESCO Memory of the World registration of the Zojoji "Three Buddhist Scriptures Collections" in 2021 but failed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.