Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu

• Fire

N/A

At the request of the Committee, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property on 13-14 June 2023, and the mission report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/972/documents/.

Subsequently, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property on 31 January 2024, available at the link above, providing the following information:

• The post-disaster reconstruction of the State Hall has advanced and in December 2023, the wooden framework of the State Hall was completed, followed by the exterior and interior moulding, roofing, and painting;
• The Advisory Panel for Technical Examination is working to establish a basic plan for the reconstruction of the other replica buildings. The basic design of the Northern Hall is scheduled to be prepared in the course of 2024;
• “Disaster Mitigation and Fire Prevention Measures for the Northern Hall and Southern Hall and other structures of Shuri-jô Site” are currently being developed by the Advisory Panel for Technical Examination;
• The initiatives to involve stakeholders includes continuous contribution of local experts on the Advisory Panel for Technical Examination, participation of the public, especially the local community, in volunteer activities for the post-disaster reconstruction and learning opportunities for the general public.

Sustained efforts at the site should be acknowledged with satisfaction, taking into consideration both the state of conservation report submitted by the State Party and the findings of the 2023 joint Reactive Monitoring mission to the property.

The dedicated work and progress made by the State Party are noted with satisfaction, as they implement previous recommendations. The mission concluded that the fire had minimal impact on the significant attributes of the property or its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), as the fire damaged only 0.05% of the archaeological remains, which are the significant attributes of the site. The mission recommended that the State Party continue its on-site recovery actions.

The 2023 mission confirmed that the post-disaster reconstruction of the replica of the main hall, was carefully carried out by protecting the archaeological remains to ensure that these constructions do not have any negative impact on the property’s OUV. The integrity of the site is retained by rebuilding the main hall based on the best available evidence and utilising as much of the fabric as could be salvaged from the fire such as foundation stones and tiles, and traditional skills, materials and methods are being used.

Therefore, the Committee may wish to request the State Party to continue its work on post-disaster reconstruction and recovery as planned and documented, in order to prevent any negative impact on the OUV and maintain the integrity and the authenticity of the property.

The “Disaster Mitigation and Fire Prevention Measures for the Northern Hall and Southern Hall and other structures of Shuri-jô Site” is being developed on the basis of the “Fire Prevention Measures for the State Hall of Shuri-jô Site”, where extensive fire prevention measures will be introduced.

While the State Party may have focused on fire prevention measures in response to the recent fire at the property, it is also important to recognize that disaster risk is not limited to fire. It is desirable to consider all potential hazards and adequately mitigate and prepare for them.

Furthermore, with adequate training, community could be one of the important contributors in terms of disaster risk management. Training of community volunteers and utilization of traditional social networks for preparedness, response and recovery could be the approach for that.

The State Party is leveraging this post-disaster reconstruction to engage the community and visitors. The community participated in activities contributing to the post-disaster reconstruction, which should strengthen their relationship with the site.

It should be welcomed that the State Party used the post-disaster reconstruction as an opportunity for educational outreach, allowing visitors and community to learn not only about the recovery process, but also about the conservation work for the property, including the high standard of skills and techniques employed. Hence, the Committee may wish to encourage the State Party to continue involving them in the recovery process, providing educational and interpretation materials, and invite it to submit a good practice case study based on this experience to be made available to other stakeholders on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s website.