STATE OF CONSERVATION REPORT

Fujisansacred place and source of artistic inspiration
January 2016

JAPAN"A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day" of "Thirty-Six Views of Mt
Fuji" (1831 - 1836) by Katsushika Hokusai. (collection of
Yamanashi Prefectural Museum, Yamanashi)

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Annex 13 of the Operational Guidelines

United Nations
Cultural Organization

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World
Heritage
Convention

FORMAT FOR THE SUBMISSION OF
STATE OF CONSERVATION REPORTS
BY THE STATES PARTIES(in compliance with Paragraph 169 of the Operational Guidelines)

Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (Japan) (ID: 1418)

1.

Executive Summary of the report

The Fujisan World Cultural Heritage Council has developed “The World Cultural Heritage
Fujisan Vision and Strategies” (hereafter referred to as “The Vision and Strategies”) in responseto the recommendations and requests given in the Decision of the World Heritage Committee (37COM 8B.29) at the “Fujisan World Cultural Heritage Council”, which included Yamanashi
Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, the relevant municipal governments, and other stakeholders, incoordination with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment, and theForestry Agency.
The vision (in response to paragraph 4 a of Decision 37 COM 8B. 29) gives the overall vision
for operationalizing a management system in order to manage the property both as an entity andas a cultural landscape, including the participation of local communities in the preservation andutilization of the World Heritage property.
The strategies thereafter describe the existing state of affairs and identify pertinent issues withineach point made in Decision 37 COM 8B.29, i.e. delineation of the pilgrim routes on the lower
slopes of the mountain (paragraph 4 b), a visitor management strategy (paragraph 4 c), an overall
conservation approach for the upper access routes etc. (paragraph 4 d), an interpretation strategy(paragraph 4 e), strengthening of the monitoring indicators (paragraph 4 f), a risk management
strategy (paragraph 5), and development control (paragraph 3). The Vision and Strategies alsopresent corresponding policies for preservation and management, concrete measures, andimplementation schedules.
Furthermore, in January 2016, an overall revision was made to the “Comprehensive Preservationand Management Plan for the World Cultural Heritage, Fujisan” (hereafter referred to as the“Comprehensive Preservation and Management Plan”) (2012) to reflect “The Vision andStrategies”.
Summaries of “The Vision and Strategies” are given in “2. Response to the Decision and of theWorld Heritage Committee” and the full texts are attached as Appendix 1 and the revisedComprehensive and Preservation Management Plan (including the action plan andimplementation schedules) is attached as Appendix 2.
The State Party has identified no other current conservation issues which may have an impact on
the property’s Outstanding Universal Value. Nor are any potential major restorations, alterations
or new construction intended within the property or the buffer zone that may affect the
Outstanding Universal Value of the property, including its authenticity and integrity,
Public access to this state of conservation report is acceptable.

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Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (Japan) (ID: 1418)
2. Response to the Decision of the World Heritage Committee
At its 37th session, the World Heritage Committee adopted Decision 37 COM 8B.29, in which six
recommendations were made to the State Party, regarding operationalizing a management system inorder to manage the property as an entity and as a cultural landscape.
Decision 37 COM 8B.29
4. Recommends that the State Party operationalize the management system in order to manage theproperty as an entity and as a cultural landscape with respect to the following:a) Put in place an overall vision for the property related to its conflicting needs to offer access andrecreation and to maintain spiritual and aesthetic qualities,b) Delineate the pilgrim routes on the lower slopes of the mountain in relation to the shrines andlodging sites and to their links to the upper ascent routes, and consider how these might be perceived
and understood,c) Develop a visitor management strategy based on researched carrying capacities for the upper accessroutes,d) Develop an overall conservation approach for the upper access routes and their associated huts andtractor routes,e) Develop an interpretation strategy that informs how each of the individual sites can be appreciatedand understood as part of the overall property and of the overall pilgrimage routes around both theupper and lower slopes of the mountain, in order to guide the development of visitor centres andinterpretation at individual sites,f) Strengthen the monitoring indicators to reflect spiritual and aesthetic aspects of the landscape
In addition to these recommendations, the development of a risk management strategy was requested in
the last paragraph (paragraph 5) of the decision. A need was identified in the management andprotection requirements section in the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (paragraph 3) to more
tightly control the scale, the location, and the siting of buildings, including hotels, on the lower flanksof the mountain.
Reponses to the recommendations and requests articulated in the Decision of the World Heritage
Committee have been compiled into “The Vision and Strategies” (December 2014) by the “FujisanWorld Cultural Heritage Council”, consisting of Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, therelevant municipal governments, and other stakeholders, in coordination with the Agency for Cultural
Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Forestry Agency (Appendix 1).
The summaries of these responses are given below:a) Put in place an overall vision for the property related to its conflicting needs to offer
access and recreation and to maintain spiritual and aesthetic qualities
1) Purpose To manage the World Heritage, Fujisan, which consists of 25 component parts, as an entityand as a cultural landscape; and To operationalize a management system in terms of preservation and utilization with theactive participation and contribution of the entire local community.
2) Summaryi. Management as an entity
The 25 component parts are treated as an entity and the relationships among these component
parts are clarified from the perspectives of both their spiritual and aesthetic qualities. Integrated
management is implemented, maintaining the scenic views of Fujisan from the two
representative viewpoints (Nakanokura Pass on the northwestern shore of Lake Motosuko andthe Mihonomatsubara pine tree grove).
ii. Management as a cultural landscapeEfforts are being made to fuse social needs between lives, livelihoods, tourism, and recreationon the one hand and maintaining spiritual and aesthetic qualities that constitute the Outstanding
Universal Value on the other hand. A harmonious solution will be found to address the2Annex 13 of the Operational Guidelines
conflicting issues between them, from the perspective of treating the component parts and thebuffer zone as a cultural landscape.
iii. Roles of local community
 To clearly understand the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and recognize thesignificance of the World Cultural Heritage;
 To participate in discussions, practices, and inspections on an ongoing basis;
 To clearly recognize mutual roles and effectively participate in, and contribute to, thepreservation and utilization of Fujisan effectively; and To provide information to visitors and climbers in general and encourage positive attitudes
toward preservation and utilization.

b) Delineate the pilgrim routes on the lower slopes of the mountain in relation to theshrines and lodging sites and to their links to the upper ascent routes, and consider
how these might be perceived and understood A system for research is to be established and/or enhanced, centering on the “FujisanWorld Heritage Centers”. This system will identify the locations and courses of thosepilgrimage routes that are no longer used and will show the historical relationships
among the different component parts. The results of previous research will becollected and studied. Instruction and advice will be provided to municipal
governments.
 The results of the research will be reflected in the Interpretation Strategy in a stepwise,
carefully planned approach to help visitors easily perceive and understand therelationships among the different component parts in terms of both their spiritual andaesthetic qualities. Educational lectures will be given in coordination with schools andexhibitions and seminars will be organized at museums, art museums, and othervenues.
c) Develop a visitor management strategy based on researched carrying capacities forthe upper access routes
 The goals and targets have been set out and indicators are being determined, as shown
below, based on World Heritage Manual No. 1, “Managing Tourism at World
Heritage Sites: a Practical Manual for World Heritage Site Managers” (UNESCOWorld Heritage Centre, 2002) and case studies of national parks in other countries.
The results will be monitored.
 It is important that those who make ascents using various climbing styles can perceive
both the spiritual and aesthetic qualities of the Outstanding Universal Value of Fujisan.
Recognizing this fact, and in consideration of the carrying capacities for the upper
access routes, visitor management is to be implemented by setting out the “desired
style of Fujisan ascents” as a goal of visitor management.
 Transmission of the cultural traditions of ascents originating from worship-ascentsin the 17th century as a cultural tradition;
 Maintenance of scenic landscapes along the ascending routes and around themountaintop; and Safety and comfort of visitors who ascend.
 A 3-year research prgoramme, planned for 2015-2017, is currently underway, mainlyon the carrying capacities for the upper access routes, to realize the “desired style of
Fujisan ascents”. By July 2018, several indicators and the desired levels by indicators
will be determined, including the daily number of climbers, from the perspectives of(i) transmission of the cultural traditions of ascents, (ii) maintenance of scenic
landscapes, and (iii) safety and comfort of Fujisan ascents.

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Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (Japan) (ID: 1418)

 Measures including addressing the concentrated distribution of the numbers ofclimbers at the mountaintop on the specific dates and times and providing information
for climbers’ safety are to be taken. In close coordination with the Interpretation
Strategy, visitors and climbers will be encouraged to perceive and understand therelationships among the different component parts of the property and to visit thecomponent parts at the foot of the mountain and/or make a circular tour of surrounding
tourist attractions.
 Measures and indicators will be evaluated and reviewed periodically to advance andimprove the visitor management.
d) Develop an overall conservation approach for the upper access routes and theirassociated huts and tractor routes
 Ascending routs and mountain huts originate from worship-ascents that were made aspart of religious practice, whereas the tractor routes are indispensable for the operationof mountain huts etc. Preservation and management are to be promoted in acomprehensive manner, with a focus on the harmonious and complementary
relationships among the three elements.
 With regard to ascending routes, measures set out in the Visitor Management Strategy
will be implemented, mitigating visitors’ impact on ascending routes. Patrols will be
conducted in accordance with the “Manual for Patrolling Ascending Routes of Fujisan”
to monitor the existing state of the ascending routes. Maintenance and repair will bedone, using materials and methods harmonious with the scenic landscape.
 With regard to the mountain huts, improvements will be made to achieve harmony
with the scenic landscape, based on an analysis of the existing state. With regard totractor routes, consultations and discussions will be held with stakeholders to make
improvements as needed.
e) Develop an interpretation strategy that informs how each of the individual sites canbe appreciated and understood as part of the overall property and of the overallpilgrimage routes around both the upper and lower slopes of the mountain, in orderto guide the development of visitor centres and interpretation at individual sites
 A system for research will be established with the aim of advancing morecomprehensive examination, including the further identification of pilgrimage routes.
The results of these studies will be systematically gathered and their presentation anduse will be promoted.
 Information will be provided about the Outstanding Universal Value through theestablishment of the “Fujisan World Heritage Centers”, the development of humanresources such as World Heritage guides, and educational programmes in coordination
with schools, and the provision of model routes. Information necessary for theconservation and safe ascents of Fujisan will also be provided.
f) Strengthen the monitoring indicators to reflect spiritual and aesthetic aspects of thelandscape Monitoring indicators have been strengthened to identify the negative impact on theproperty, to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies implemented for solving, or
improving on, various issues, and then to review strategies.
 To monitor the scenic landscapes, 34 new fixed observation points have been added tothe original two representative viewpoints at the Nakanokura Pass on the northwestern
shore of Lake Motosuko, and at the Mihonomatsubara pine tree grove.

4Annex 13 of the Operational Guidelinesg) Develop a risk management strategy
 Measures will be promoted based on disaster prevention plans such as regional
disaster prevention plans and other procedures prepared by Yamanashi Prefecture,
Shizuoka Prefecture, and the relevant municipal governments to protect the lives andproperty of visitors and residents from natural disasters etc. In particular as a measure
to respond to a sudden eruption, discussions will be undertaken regarding the methods
for transmitting information to climbers, including routes evacuation plans, etc. The
results will be reflected in the “Wide-Area Evacuation Plan for the Mt. Fuji Volcano”.
 As a measure for disasters at the component parts at the foot of the mountain, actions
will be taken for disaster prevention and recovery from disasters at buildings, as well
as safety measures for visitors, based on the “Disaster Prevention Action Plan of the
Agency for Cultural Affairs”.
h) Development control
 In the area within the buffer zone subject to relatively mild restrictions on the size
(scale) and location of buildings etc., administrative procedures such as priorconsultation concerning development and consultation with the advisory committee
will be enhanced. The effectiveness of development control will be strengthened
through early detection of development pressure and subsequent coordination.
Landscape plans and ordinances will be developed and updated by municipal
governments, which will harness the momentum of the entire community toward
conservation. In particular, Yamanashi Prefecture has adopted a new ordinancegoverning development at the component parts and at the buffer zone on the
Yamanashi Prefecture side, including the area along the shorelines of the Fuji Five
Lakes (Fujigoko), where a need for tighter development control was highlighted in
ICOMOS’ evaluation document in 2013 (WHC-13/37. COM/INF. 8B1, ICOMOS
Evaluations of Nominations of Cultural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage
List/Fujisan (Japan) No. 1418). This ordinance aims to control development andthereby contribute to the conservation of the landscape, requiring that the project
undertakers who are planning development exceeding a certain scale survey, predict,and evaluate the impact of their development on the landscape.
 Specific issues that need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis, such as visual
harmonization, will be initially addressed through quick action to bring immediate
effects, followed by measures for fundamental solutions, which will be implemented
in a carefully planned approach (e.g., improvement at Oshino Hakkai springs andShiraito no Taki waterfalls, installation of facilities at the fifth station of the Yoshida
Ascending Route, and conservation of the Mihonomatsubara pine tree grove).
3. Other current conservation issues identified by the State(s) Party(ies) which may have an impact on
the property’s Outstanding Universal Value
There are no other current conservation issues identified.
4. In conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, describe any potential major
restorations, alterations and/or new construction(s) intended within the property, the buffer zone(s)and/or corridors or other areas, where such developments may affect the Outstanding Universal
Value of the property, including authenticity and integrity.
There are no potential major restorations or other projects to be reported.
5. Public access to the state of conservation report
Uploading this report for public access on the web site is accepted without reservation.

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