Research on the Development Plan and the Method of Heritage Preservation and Utilisation in Asuka Village

Asuka Village, known as ―the beginning of the Japanese state,‖ started its protection in 1996. Asuka Village has begun its unique system of protection: the ―Asuka Village Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation Plan‖ to provide the regulations and the ―Asuka Village Development Plan‖ to guide the preservation and utilisation of historical resources and village development. In the 40 years since the preservation of Asuka Village began, the village has continued this planning system. This study summarises the preservation and utilisation of the historical resources of Asuka Village. By analysing the changes in the ―Asuka Village Development Plan,‖ the trend of preservation and utilisation in Asuka Village is clarified. By studying three cases of heritage improvement at different times, this study clarifies the changes in the heritage improvement methods and concerns in the heritage preservation and utilisation process in Asuka Village. It elucidates the relationship between the Asuka Village Development Plan and heritage improvement. From a planning perspective, this research aims to provide some suggestions for preserving the ancient village and improving Asuka Village for future generations.


Previous Research
So far, the studies related to Asuka Village have been mainly about the agricultural system and tourism. Takashi Fujimoto assesses the benefits and costs of farmland preservation policies in Asuka Village (Takashi, 1998). Kenji Takao and others evaluate the rice terrace ownership system in Asuka Village (Kenji, 2003).
Tourism in Asuka Village has been studied from several viewpoints. Yuko Shioji provides a case study of Asuka Village, showing that heritage tourism at the regional level should carefully focus on the locality (Yuko, 1996). Simon Potter analyses Asuka Village as a location that offers informal educational possibilities and points out that Asuka Village is a suitable locale for cultural tourism's -educational‖ side (Simon, 2014). Hideo Yoshikane analyses the heritage tourism in Asuka Village. He concludes that the historical resources' value of Asuka Village is high, and the protection system is perfect, but it is too strict for the resident's life. Asuka Village stands in just the first stage for tourist use of cultural heritage, understanding and protecting itself (Hideo, 2001).
There is also research about the residents of Asuka Village. Fujii Yoshio analysed the consciousness of residents towards the living environment in the preservation area of historical landscape (Fujii, 2003).
As a region rich in historical resources, there are few studies related to the regional heritage of Asuka village. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the preservation and utilisation of the regional heritage of Asuka Village from the Asuka Village Development Plan that promotes the preservation and development of Asuka Village.

Purpose and Significance of the Research
The protection of Asuka Village has changed directionally over the past 40 years in response to changes in the Asuka Village Development Plan. Such changes are difficult to observe in a short period of time and can only be seen in the village, where protection activities are continuously carried out. This study aimed to examine the trend of this change by analysing the Asuka Village Development Plan, which is the direction of protection in Asuka Village. This study focuses on how the trend of the development plan relates to the changes in the heritage improvement practices of the village.
The protection of historic villages is an ongoing process. The changes that have occurred in Asuka Village, one of the cases that fully demonstrate this characteristic, may not be universal. However, they can reflect the thinking of Japan in the protection of historic villages. The history of historic village protection will also undergo changes in the future, and Asuka Village, as a relatively pioneering case, can provide some reference.

Research Methods
(1) Literature Survey Collected documents related to the plans of Asuka Village and the improvement plans and reports of Asuka Village heritage through a literature survey, and summarised, compared, and synthesised these documents to obtain the basis for the study thesis.
(2) Field Survey Visit each heritage site in Asuka Village, and document the current status of Asuka Village and the preservation and utilisation situation of the heritage through photographs.
(3) Arrangement and Analysis On the one hand, organise the fiirst to the fifth Asuka Village Development Plan, and summarise the characteristics of each phase. On the other hand, analyse the improvement plans of heritage in Asuka Village and summarise the characteristics of each plan.
(4) Comparative Study The study adopts a comparative approach to identify the main changes in the heritage improvement plans and the relationship with the -Asuka Village Development Plan.‖

Definition Explanation
Some differences in understanding the terms used in the Japanese and English contexts for preserving and utilising historical resources have arisen.
In Japanese, the term -seibi (整備)‖ is often used to preserve and utilise cultural heritage. In this study, the term -seibi‖ is translated as -improvement‖ based on the ICOMOS evaluation of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (ICOMOS, 2019), and the -improvement method‖ is used in this study as a generic term for preservation and utilisation methods. Moreover, -hozon (保存)‖ is translated as -preservation‖, and -katsuyou (活用)‖ is translated as -utilisation‖ (Inaba, 2021). ach.ccsenet.org Asian Culture and History Vol. 14, No. 1; There has been some confusion and controversy about expressing the word -improvement‖ in English. At the World Heritage Conference in 2021, there was a discussion on explaining the Japanese word -seibi‖ (Nishi, 2021).
The protection -preservation and utilisation-of historic sites is a comprehensive process of conserving the first component and preparing the second component to extract and enhance their potential value. Various technical measures for such a comprehensive process are called -seibi.‖ (Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2005) The main concern in this study is the improvement of historical sites. The term -improvement‖ is used for all activities in the area, from management, repair, and restoration to disaster prevention projects, infrastructure development, exhibition facilities, visitor facilities, and others. Figure 1. Relationship between the concepts of -protection, preservation, and utilisation‖ and -improvement‖ of historic sites

Basic Situation of Asuka Village
Asuka Village is located in the Nara Prefecture in Japan, in the southeastern part of the Nara Basin, 40 km from Osaka City and 25 km from Nara City. At the end of the 6th century, starting with the 33rd Emperor Suiko, several emperors set up their residences in the present-day Asuka Village. After the 7th century, the emperor's residences were located predominantly in the north area of Asuka Village. Many tourists have visited Asuka Village since the Edo period (1603-1867). The archaeological remains of the Asuka period attract many visitors. The discovery of the Takamatsuzuka mural in 1972 led to a kind of -Asuka Explosion,‖ which means a nationwide archaeological and historical boom. After reaching a peak of over 1.5 million in the 1970s, the number of visitors declined. In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Asuka Village has been about 800,000 per year.

Regulation of Preservation and Utilisation of Historical Resources
The regulations of Asuka Village are mainly from the Ancient Capital Preservation Act and the Asuka Law.
According to the -Ancient Capital Preservation Act,‖ the historic preservation district is divided into -Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation District‖ and -Traditional Scenic Beauty Special Preservation District.‖ The whole area of Asuka Village is designated as the -Traditional Scenic Beauty Special Preservation District.‖ According to the -Asuka Law,‖ the preservation area of Asuka Village is divided into the -First-type Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation District‖ and the -Second-type Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation District.‖  In addition to the -Ancient Capital Preservation Act‖ and -Asuka Law,‖ other laws and ordinances regulate Asuka Village. These laws and ordinances together restrict all aspects of the actions and initiatives of the Asuka Village in order to preserve its traditional scenic beauty.

Preservation and Utilisation of Historical Resources
Almost all the relics in Asuka Village have been improved. The author has summarised the heritage improvement situation of the improved 25 relics. Except for the Yatsuri and Higashiyama Tumulus Group, all of the heritage in Asuka Village has been preserved in its original locations. Moreover, most of the heritage sites have been done with environmental improvement and site exposure. The majority of the temples and palaces' heritage has been restored in some way. Almost all of the heritage has been displayed and explained.
There are eight exhibition institutions in Asuka Village. The author here divides these institutions into regional and individual types. The regional type refers to the display of history and culture for the whole region. The individual type refers to displaying individual relics, people, etc. These institutions help keep and manage the artefacts and materials and show the history and culture of Asuka Village to people who come to visit. In 2007, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the addition of the -Asuka-Fujiwara Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties‖ to the tentative list of sites to be recommended for registration as World Cultural Heritage sites. Several cultural properties in Asuka Village are included in the world heritage project. Moreover, -The Founding of Japan: The Women Who Made Asuka Thrive‖ was designated as a Japan Heritage in 2015, the 14th designated story of Japan Heritage.

Changes in the "Asuka Village Development Plan"
The Asuka Village Development Plan holds the direction of protection. The -Asuka Village Development Plan‖ was formulated every ten years from 1981. The latest plan is -The Fifth Asuka Village Development Plan,‖ which was formulated and implemented in 2020, and the period is from 2021 to 2030.

Transition of the "Asuka Village Development Plan"
3.1.1 Overview of the -Asuka Village Development Plan‖ from 1st to 5th The first development plan focuses on improving villagers' living environment and industrial infrastructure. The planning projects are infrastructure construction, such as elementary schools and production infrastructure.
The second development plan also focuses on infrastructure development, both for living and industry. There are new measures planned to promote agriculture and tourism. The main improvements to construction are the kindergarten and welfare centre.
The third development plan starts to focus on measures of regional revitalisation. Though there are still many projects for improving the living environment and production infrastructure, this is the first time that utilising traditional scenic beauty appears as a section in the plan independently.
The fourth development plan's measures are centred on enhancing the attractiveness of Asuka Village. The content of improving the living environment becomes less important, while the measures for utilising traditional scenic beauty become more important. The majority of the plan's content and activities for increasing tourism are directed guidance, on-site enhancement, and utilisation. During the planning period of the fourth development plan, the Centre for the preservation of Kitora Tumulus Mural Paintings is constructed.
The fifth development plan focuses on preserving and utilising traditional scenic beauty, which is the main focus of the planning contents. Measures to promote the historical display and create a landscape are planned. The measures for promoting tourism have become a separate section. Strategies for improving the living environment, like the fourth plan, have become less prevalent. From the analysis of the project categories, the project categories of the development plan have gradually shifted from a focus on production and living infrastructure to a focus on the utilisation of historical resources. The development plan has the characteristic of changing from hardware-levelled projects to software-levelled projects. As well, the major industry shifted from agriculture and forestry to tourism.

Transition of the Basic Policy of the Asuka Village Development Plan
From the first to the third development plan, the keyword of the basic policy is -harmony,‖ which means the main work is to preserve the traditional scenic beauty and villagers' lives harmonious. In the third plan, the keywords -utilisation‖ and -attractive‖ are added to the basic policy, which means using the traditional scenic beauty and making Asuka Village an attractive historical village. The fourth development plan added -vitality,‖ which means increasing the vitality of the village. From the fourth development plan, -historical display‖ is added and continues to the fifth development plan, conveying Asuka's historical value through the historical display. Moreover, the fifth plan added -succession,‖ which means passing traditional culture to future generations.

Transition of the Basic Directions for Historical Resource Preservation
The basic policy of historical resources has changed from preserving historical resources to utilisation and then to the historical display. This means that the process of preserving and using the history of Asuka Village is moving from a preservation-oriented process to a use-oriented process.
The author categorises metrics relating to historical resources into preservation, landscape, tourism, and display. Measures related to preservation are gradually emerging as the most standard elements of the plan-the measures for heritage improvement range from universal to object-specific. From the fourth plan onward, in addition to proposing measures for preserving the entire heritage, several measures for specific heritages are proposed. Furthermore, more detailed requirements are made to improve the heritage, such as making it visible, accessible, partially exposed, easy to understand, and displaying it.
Measures about the landscape started to be paid attention to in the third development plan. It is treated as a kind of enhancement to the traditional scenic beauty. A -landscape creation‖ section is added in the third development plan.
As for the tourism measures, the focus is changing from new construction of infrastructure to renewal of infrastructure. The fourth plan proposed the need for multilingual improvement and introductory facilities, such as information boards face updating contents. And the measures are changing from the hardware level to the software level. The construction of tourism infrastructure is mainly concentrated in the first to third plans. Following the fourth plan, Asuka Village begins to promote a cashless system, SNS communication, an improved Wi-Fi environment, and multilingual support.

Study of Cases of Heritage Improvement in Asuka Village
Here are the three selected cases of improved heritage in Asuka Village: Nakaoyama Tumulus, Kitora Tumulus, and Asuka Palace Ruins.
ach.ccsenet.org Asian Culture and History Vol. 14, No. 1; 2021 The three heritages are all nationally designated heritage. The improvement plan for the three cases is formulated at different times, and the improvement of the three cases is carried out at different times.  Ceiling stone, filling in the perimeter, setting up the fence, marking on the ground at the corner of the octagonal shape, explanatory board, backfilling of the research area, etc.

Utilisation
Establish a tour park road for a tour of the tumulus Improvement of tour park road

Kitora Tumulus
Kitora Tumulus is a heritage tumulus discovered in Asuka Historical National Government Park, Kitora Tumulus area, with mural paintings. The Kitora Tumulus is a two-tiered circular tomb. It was built from around the end of the 7th century to the beginning of the 8th century. The improvement of the kitora tumulus is complex because it also includes mural paintings. The author has divided the improvement method of the kitora tombs into two objects: the tumulus and the mural paintings.

Basic Direction Method
Preservation i. Preservation of remains, promotion of additional designation and preservation management ii. Continuous archaeological excavation in order to elucidation of remains iii. Conservation of rural landscape, coordination / harmony with surrounding landscape iv. Visualization of archaeological sites in the field Indication of the plan scale and pillar positions of the remains of buildings and walls Restoration of partial remains Planar display improvement Removal / repair of obstacles, installation of buffer zone Public ownership of land ach.ccsenet.org Asian Culture and History Vol. 14, No. 1; 2021

Utilisation
i. An easy-to-understand display of the value of the ruins ii. To understand the range, scale, contents, etc. of the ruins iii. Viewpoint for viewing the ruins iv. Provide easy-to-understand explanations of archaeological sites and disseminate information on research results, etc. v. Preservation management with the participation of various actors and exchanges through events, etc. vi. Complex efforts with disguise restoration technology Improvement by zones for different function Interaction with the latest research results such as archeology and history Disseminate significance and value to the world Liven up the festival Create a comfortable space Guidance facility Full-scale restoration of the building Improve the network of historical and cultural resources and the ability to disseminate information Improving hospitality through regional cooperation and cooperation

Characteristic of Improvement Method
The author summarised the improvement method from the preservation and utilisation methods. The three cases have different characteristics in the following aspects. Basic and individual Systematic and regional Diversity and international Communication Regional Regional and East Asian Regional and international Impact on the region Less More More The description of the changes in the heritage improvement of the Asuka Village is divided into three parts, overall trend, preservation measures, and utilisation measures.

Changes in Heritage Improvement for Preservation and Utilisation
To facilitate the description, the authors cross-referenced the periods corresponding to the three cases to the planning period of Asuka Village Development Plan, designating the period 1980-2010 as phase 1 and 2010-2020 as phase 2, and the period beyond 2020 as phase 3.
(1) Overall Trend The characteristics of the three cases show that heritage preservation and utilisation are going in the same direction.
The trend of heritage improvement is initially centred on heritage preservation measures. Then it gradually changes into a kind of tendency with an increased tendency to utilisation based on the preservation measures.  First, there is an apparent change in the purpose of heritage utilisation. The purpose of heritage utilisation is changing from experience to communicating values. Second, the utilisation methods become multiple and complex. Third, heritage interpretation has become more diverse and international. More technology is being used for heritage interpretation, which is available worldwide through the Internet. Fourth, the impact on the region and communication are considered more.

Comparison of the Changes in the Heritage Improvement Method and the Changes in the Asuka Village Development Plan
a. General Trends: Shift to the utilisation of historical resources Regarding the overall trend of the Asuka Village Development Plan, the plan's focus has mainly changed from the improvement of produce and the living environment to the utilisation of historical resources. The project categories have changed from mainly hardware-levelled projects to software-levelled projects.
As for the overall trend of the improvement method of heritage, the focus of the improvement method changed from preservation to utilisation. Also, compared to the hardware-levelled projects, the software-levelled projects are increasing. Similarly, in terms of heritage improvement, the target object of heritage improvement gradually expanded to include the surrounding environment and landscape. Furthermore, it began to consider the heritage as a medium to enhance the area's vitality.

c. Purpose: Communication of the Historical Value
In the Asuka Village Development Plan, the plan specifies that the value of Asuka Village is history, and the history display is made the basic policy of the plan. The communication of the historical value of Asuka Village has also become one of the goals of the historical display.
It has also become more important to communicate the value of heritage as part of heritage improvement. Asuka Village's heritage improvement has made this goal more important.

d. Global communication and cooperation
The Asuka Village Development Plan gradually shifts from a national to a global orientation to communicate historical values and attract visitors.
The heritage improvement is also gradually shifting from a regional utilisation to a global one. The projects -World Heritage‖ and -Japan Heritage‖ are both regional utilisations that link the heritage of Asuka Village and other regions to form a regional interpretation of heritage. What's more, the -World Heritage‖ project focuses on the theme of cultural exchange with East Asia. It seeks to use the registration of World Heritage sites as an opportunity to communicate with the world.

Conclusion
The focus of the Asuka Village Development Plan has gradually changed from improving the productive living environment for residents to the utilisation of historical resources. The basic direction of the plan has also undergone a series of changes: harmony between life and preservation, the beginning of utilisation and emphasis on the vitality and attractiveness of the area, and the advancement of historical display and cultural succession. Changes in planning initiatives have gradually moved away from focusing on hardware-level projects to working on software-level projects.
The heritage improvement method in Asuka Village has gradually shifted from being preservation-centred to utilisation-centred. The scope of heritage preservation and utilisation gradually expands from the heritage itself to include the environment and landscape surrounding it. In heritage utilisation, historical display and communication of heritage values become the main purposes. The relationship and the link to the regional heritage are considered. The methods of heritage improvement are becoming increasingly diverse. The utilisation of heritage is planned to increase regions' vitality and promote cultural exchange between them and the world.
There is a partial consistency between the changing trends in the Asuka Village Development Plan and the changing trends in the heritage improvement method of Asuka Village. Consistency includes the general trends of change to utilising historical resources, consideration of the surrounding area from harmonising the environment to vitalising the region, the purpose of communication, the historical value, and global communication and cooperation. This trend results from the interaction between the Asuka Village Development Plan and the ongoing exploration of heritage preservation and utilisation approaches. The Asuka Village Development Plan plays an important role in this process.
The change reflects a trend in the method of heritage preservation and utilisation, gradually expanding from the improvement of the heritage to its surroundings, paying more attention to the value of the heritage, the interpretation of the locality brought about by links with other heritages, and the involvement of human activities. This is the most advanced approach to preserving and utilising modern regional heritage.

Considerations and Recommendations
Although Asuka Village is only one of many historic villages globally, heritage preservation and utilisation ach.ccsenet.org Asian Culture and History Vol. 14, No. 1; 2021 activities have been carried out in Asuka Village for more than 40 years. During the last 40 years, the heritage improvement of Asuka village has gradually changed from individual preservation to regional and even global utilisation, with more emphasis on the communication of historical values and regional cooperation and communication. The overall trend of its heritage preservation and utilisation method can also represent the trend of heritage preservation and utilisation in Japan and even in the world. It can be seen that the trend is more international, communicative, and valuable.
As can be seen from the case of Asuka Village, it is fundamental to identify what its value is and, indeed, to protect it. Only by doing the most basic preservation can people have the opportunity to utilise it in the future. It is vital to strike the right balance between the protection and development of historic villages. There is always a balance to be found between protecting and growing. This is a process that needs long-term planning and thought.
As the archaeological survey continues in Asuka Village, new heritage improvements will continue, and the heritage that has been improved will be renewed. With increased focus on the connections between heritages, a better understanding of the relationship between heritage and other aspects will become the foundation for heritage utilisation.
Although the links between heritage and Asuka Village have been formed through the heritage projects, there are still shortcomings in the practical application of heritage interpretation. The author deems that the interpretation of regional heritage may rely more on cell phone applications or the Internet so that visitors can understand, feel, and touch different angles. The existing heritage interpretation APPs also need to be updated to include more content related to heritage connection. Combining this connection between heritage and the region's history will be a topic that will continue to be explored in the future.
At the same time, the utilisation of regional heritage does not depend only on one place but requires the cooperation of several regions. It is essential to consider how to encourage other regions to work together and how different regions, especially different countries, can work together.