The Japan Foundation proudly presents exhibition “World Heritages in Japan” opening on July 26, 2014 at 27 Quang Trung St., Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi.

The exhibition includes photo collection of Kazuyoshi Miyoshi that shows to the world outstanding natural and cultural heritages in Japan added to the UNESCO’s world heritage list, such as “Shirakami-Sanchi Mountain Range”, “Yaku-shima Island”, “Himeji-jo Castle” and the “Buddhist monuments of the Horyu-ji Temple Area” (1993); “Genbaku Dome”, “Itsukushima-jinja Shrine”, the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”, the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto City, Uji City and Otsu City)”, the “Gassho-zukuri Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama” and the “Shrines and Temples of Nikko” (1994 – 1999); “Gusuku site and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu” that include Shuri-jo Castle (late 2000); “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range and the Cultural Landscapes that Surroud Them” (2004); “Shiretoko” (2005); ” Iwami- Ginzan Silver Mine” (7/2008); “Ogasawara Islands” was added to the list of Natural Property and “Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaelogical Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land” (2011).

■ About the exhibition

■ About Photographer Kazuyoshi Miyoshi

Born in 1958 in Tokushima Prefecture.
Graduated from Tokai University in 1981 (School of Letters, Department of Mass Communications).
Founded Rakuen Co., Ltd. in 1981.
Received the Kimura Ihei award for his book of photographs, Rakuen (Paradise), in 1985. At twenty-seven-years old, this made him the youngest awardee ever.

Beginning with a visit to Okinawa at the age of thirteen, he traveled extensively to photograph regions all over the world, including the Maldives, Tahiti, Africa, India, and in recent years, the Himalayas and Antarctic Pole. He applies the theme “Rakuen,” or paradise, to his collection of photographs from his travels.
His works are included in the permanent collection of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in the USA.
Miyoshi’s book of photographs, The World Heritage in Japan, was published in 1998.

Since 1999, The Japan Foundation has purchased 63 photos (as of March 2009) from World Heritage Sites in Japan in order to promote Japanese culture. Since then, each time a new site is added to the world heritage list, new photographs are added to the collection, and exhibitions are held in many locations throughout the world.
Since 2007, he has been photographing images of Buddha, which are national treasures in Kyoto and Nara.
From 2008, he started taking pictures of Kyoto-Gosho Imperial Palace and Katsura-rikyu Detached Palace.