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Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a National Treasure To protect Japan's cultural heritage, the country's government has established with the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties a under which it selects important items and
designates them as Cultural Properties, imposing restrictions to their alteration, repair and export. The law then categorizes Cultural Properties according to their characteristics. Concrete items of high historical or artistic value such as structures, paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, calligraphic works, ancient books, historic documents, archeological artifacts and other such items are classified as Tangible Cultural Properties. All objects which are not structures are referred to as "works of fine arts and crafts. Designated Tangible Cultural Properties can then, if they satisfy certain criteria, be designated either as or as , in the case of especially valuable items. The designation can take place at a , or level. (In this last case the designating agency is often not specified.) Designations of different level can coexist. For example,
Sankei-en, a traditional
Japanese-style garden in
Naka Ward,
Yokohama, owns both city designated and nationally designated Important Cultural Properties. As of April 2009, 2344 sites (including 214 National Treasures) and 4272 structures (including 262 National Treasures) have been designated Tangible Cultural Properties. Any alteration to Important Cultural Properties and National Treasures requires governmental permission. Conservation work is performed by an item's owner, with financial support available for large expenses. Because many items are made of wood, bark and other flammable materials, they are often extremely susceptible to fires. Owners are therefore given subsidies to install fire and other disaster prevention systems. 1956 paintings (157), 2628 sculptures (126), 2415 artifacts (252), 1865 calligraphic works and old books (223), 726 ancient texts (59), 567 archeological items (43) and 154 historical items (2) were designated Important Cultural Properties or National Treasures. Any intervention on this type of Cultural Property requires previous approval and their exportation is forbidden, except when authorized. The National Treasury supports the conservation and restoration of these items, and the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs provides technical assistance for their administration, restoration, public display and other activities. ==Registered Tangible Cultural Properties==