일본 문화유산의 연속적 활용에 관한 연구 - ‘군마 실크유산’과 세계유산, 일본유산 사업을 중심으로 -

Abstract

In March 2015, The Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan implemented a project called “Japan Heritage,” which aims topromote the unique narratives of cultural properties of the region by branding the locality for revitalization in preparationfor the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. This bottom-up approach of cultural policy has been called a “CoolJapan Strategy of Cultural Heritage” in the 21st century, which effectively incorporates local cultural heritage and tourism. However, although a total of 67 Japan Heritage projects have been designated as of December 2018, almost none has beenintroduced in the academic forum in Korea. On the basis of this background and a lack of academic awareness in Korea on Japan’s recent cultural policies, thisresearch aims to focus on the three cases of Gunma Prefecture implemented in local, global, and glocal aspects. To specify,the cases are the “Gunma Silk Heritage” project, implemented in 2011, the “Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites” projectthat was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014, and “The Best Wife in the World - Silk Story of Gunma,”case certified as the first project of “Japan Heritage” launched in 2015. Based on the questionnaire method conducted with the World Heritage Registration Promotion Division in GunmaPrefectural Government, as well as a literature view, the research revealed that the consecutive implementation of a series ofcultural heritage projects in Gunma is not coincidental, but rather a strategy aiming to create a synergism where each projectcomplements the others. Moreover, this paper demonstrates that Gunma Prefecture has been utilizing the local silk industryas a tangible and intangible cultural resource in multi-layered heritage projects, resulting in a “spiral synergy effect” and a “chainof the recognition process.” In conclusion, it illustrates the recent trend of utilizing cultural heritage in the context of theCool Japan strategy, which seeks to move away from the administration of maintaining the status quo cultural heritageprotection to a proactive one with greater potential growth. This research may thus provide meaningful insight into theutilization of domestic historical and cultural resources as well as related policy-making, in that it will ultimately promote thechain effect of linking the multiple heritage policies and projects at the local, global, and glocal levels.