Zabytki niematerialne - dobra kultury zasługujące na ochronę

• Authors: Bielawski Bolesław

Title variants

EN

INTANGIBLE CULTURAL PROPERTIES DESERVING PROTECTION

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

The publica tio n entitled „A dm inis tra tio n fo r Protection of Cultural Properties in Japan” (Tokyo 1962) comprises the fu ll text of a Japanese Law on Conservation from 1950 and its comprehensive discussion. Reading it aroused interest of the author of this artic le in the protection of intangible properties. A t present, according to the data possessed by the author, Japan is the only country to legally protect in ta n g ib le cultural properties. In th e ir respective laws on the protection of cu ltu ra l property other countries restrict themselves to the protection of ta n g ib le properties such as h istoric sites, works of architecture and engineering, sculptures, paintings, artifacts etc. A rtic le 2 of the Japanese law specifies what should be counsidered cultural property in the lig h t of the Law (tan g ib le and intangible cultural properties, examples of folk culture and monuments of nature). Basing on the above-mentioned intangible protected cu ltural goods the author formulated a defin itio n of intangible cultural properties in the rendering of this Law. They are: art and skill employed in drama, music and a p p lie d arts and other inta n gible cultural products, manners and customs related to food, c lothing, housing, to occupations, re ligious faiths, festivals inclu d in g those linked with folk c u lture th a t have a great historic and a rtistic value and that are indispensable fo r the understanding of changes in people's modes of life of th a t country. According to the author a ll this resolves itself into a p p lie d a rt and s k ill; „a p p lie d ” means „im p lem e n te d ” . The skill implemented in a material or non-material form is the root of the notion of intangible cultural properties. The author goes on to discuss the organization of the p ro tection of intangible cultural properties in Japan as well as th e ir designation. By des ignating a given kind of important non-material c u ltural property the Japanese determine and recognize the holders of this property. Thus, by protecting inta n gible c u ltural properties, i.e. arts and skills, they protect th e ir h o lders. i.e. the people who mastered a specific a rt or skill in an authentic form and to an outstanding degree and who by implementing this skill create material or non-material works of high value. For the first time non-material cultural properties were recognized in Japan as monuments in 1955. The protection of in ta n gible cultural property in Japan consists first in th e ir documentation. It does not d iffe r much from documentation methods generally used nowadays. Its distinguishing feature is, perhaps, the attention paid to the execution of copies. A p a rt from o btaining a visual document this is also of importance to m aintaining and continuing the a b ility to create a fter a d e fin ite convention, according to the adopted rules and the preservation of genuine technologies. Still, in the first place, protection of in ta n gible cu ltu ra l properties consists in supporting the holders of these properties. They receive fin a n c ia l aid and are offered adeguate co n d itions fo r work and creation. They ore helped with obtaining rare materials of good q u a lity and mainly with the imparting o f protected skills to th e ir successors. Students take also advantage of this fa r-g o in g assistance. The au tho r perceives the roots of the notion of a inta n gible property both in the history and modernity of Japan. An undoubtful effect was exerted by a national Shintoistic tra d itio n (e.g. a temple) in Ize, dismantled and reconstructed every twenty years) as well as a specific understanding o f an o rig in a l object in the culture of the Far East Buddhism stressing out not reality but the a b ility of achieving the truth — the enlightment; the skill th a t may be passed on only in a direct contact between the master and the student, not so much by means o f understanding as by in tu ition, observation, feeling and experience. In particular, Zen Duts emphasis on the sianificance of the "w a y ” of improvina the s k ill; the result is achieved somewhat autonomously in a sudden flash o f the implemented skill. It is fo r th a t reason th a t Zen artists and masters appreciated so much techniaues which excluded any corrections. A long train in g and then an almost immediate effect represent one side of a creative process. Still, it is complemented by the other one consisting in time-consuming execution which is patie nt and accurate, bound by neither time nor work in put, e.g. techniques in lacquer. Still another form of the preservation and transmission of an authentic skill was its provisioning with a code of rules, regulations, rituals and magic, which was characteristic of tantric Buddhism, e.g. forging a sword. The transmission of skills from the father onto the son had its support in a Confucianistic cult of ancestors. Finally, periods of Japan’s isolationisms, and from the end of the 19th century conscious cultivation of own trad itio n , its release from d o g mas after a defeat in 1945, a threat posed to the country's culture by homogenizing factors of tech no lo g ica l and cosmopolitism of mass culture represent rather more modern roots. It seems th a t only at such a high level o f economic and technological development as has been obtained by th a t country in recent decades one can see in a more c le a r way values and endangerings posed to traditions, tra d itio n a l arts and skills important not so much because of material necessities as of spiritual ones and thanks to that the notion of intangible cultural property has found its way to the law on conservation in Japan. Both in the past history of the West and a t present we can find opinions and actions convergent with those that conditioned the formation of the notion of intangible property in Japan. Ancient Greeks thought a rt to be a conscious skill to produce goods and they sought beauty in the perfection of work. In the sense of a skill, art is a constant theme of Western aesthetics. In the Middle Ages the features cutivated skills and guaranteed th e ir high qu ality , while close relations between the master and his student were sanctioned by the custom and law. To a larqe extent Church has preserved ancient knowledge and skills, to mention Latin in the first place. Thanks to this co n tinuity. Renaissance could give birth to the idea of not only behaviour but also of the revival of ancie n t skills. Historism of the 19th century and its idea of monuments' protection and even of certain skills (Ruskin) are wellknown. All those European trends had also th e ir reflection in Poland. Certain traditions and skills, and especially in the fie ld of folk art, receive support in Poland also today. In this field, attention should be paid to the development of o o e n -a ir museums. It started with the protection of in d iv idual wooden structures, later with th e ir eauipment and environment, through the v italising with dummies and all kinds of folk festivals onto the employment o f genuine a rtisans oerformina their crafts with the use o f original or reconstructed tools and of proper material. Traditional techniaues have been introduced into animal husbandry and land cultivation. There is a change from presentation and knowledae of obiects to making it possible not only for the public but fo r co-participants to experience a certain skill and even to master it. This is the skill executed, i.e. " in ta n g ib le " cultural property, although described in o ther words. One couM auote at this point other undertakings aimed at the reproduction on the basis of research work, of obsolete skills, their testinq and experiencing in practice. There arises doubt as to the authencitv o f reproduced arts and s'dHs Without aoino into on analysis, they <~qn be safelv comngrnH with the authencitv of a number of Polish and non-Polish monuments, without which the picture of Europe and Poland would not be acceptable fo r us. It is no* possible to list horo all fields of culure, in which protection of intannible historic cultural properties can be a p p lie d ; thev include; theatre, music, sports, military science, law, sailina, protection o f vanishing crafts, customs. liturgy, historic names, disappearing lanauaqes and dialeats. We mean here, first and foremost, Latin. I dare say that for the Polish culture Latin had and still has a s im ila r value and importance as material monuments such as cathedrals, palaces, paintings, sculpture, Even a passive knowledge of th a t language, a t one time the second n a tio na l language of the educated Polish people, is disappearing. One can observe an interesting phenomenon in Poland; on the one hand, we can see an unprecedently broad interest of the society in ancient culture, on the other hand an active use of Latin and Greek dies out. And thus, we have an increase and development of sciences and a decay of skills. Just like in the case of the protection of material monuments the main thing is to preserve the still existing elements of intangible historic cultural environment of the man and when the need arises to reproduce and reconstruct them. The erosion of non-material environment of man is not smaller than the devastation of material environment. The author does not, on purpose, make any proposals of substantial and organizational solutions with regard to the protection of non-material cultural property. First, the idea itself should mature in our minds.

Keywords

PL

zabytki niematerialne; ochrona nazw historycznych; niematerialne dobra kultury; ochrona niematerialnych dóbr kultury w Japonii; zachowanie tradycji i rzemiosł

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 1988
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 86-94

Dates

published

1988

Contributors

author

Bielawski Bolesław

• mgr, Ośrodek Dokumentacji Zabytków

References

• Sprawowanie ochrony dobr kultury w Japonii wydana przez National Commission for Protection of Cultural Properties. Tokyo 1962.
• Low for the Protection of Cultural Properties (ustawa о ochronie dobr kultury nr 214, z dnia 30 maja 1950 r.,
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Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247