Pursuing sustainable conservation of Hashima/Gunkanjima Island as an authentic heritage site

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research explores an impasse in the listing of Hashima Island, also called Gunkanjima as a UNESCO World Heritage site as a symbol of Meiji innovation. The debate centres on authenticity in the site designation process. To overcome this debate and ensure the site’s sustainable conservation, this study reinterprets the notion of authentic heritage as a kaleidoscope, including the scarred physical spaces of intangible conflict, forced labour, and a representation of imperial Japan’s economic zenith. Specifically, it reviews Gunkanjima Island’s rich history and investigates the process of obtaining World Heritage status, highlighting why Hashima Island’s World Heritage Site status has been heavily debated. In the field of architectural cities, historians must make compromises for conservation measures when interpreting the value of cultural heritage, such as that of Hashima Island. Such sites need to be sustainably preserved and respected under an expanded interpretation of authenticity. This study concludes that Hashima is a site of continuously reinterpreted memories. As such, its authenticity should lie in the site’s recognition as an object of inclusive historical reflection and progress over time, rather than in fixed authentic attributes. This compromise enables the sustainable conservation of the island’s heritage for all.