Save Our Culture

On November 2 in Tokyo, World Monuments Fund and the Foundation for Cultural Heritage and Art Research launched Save Our Culture (SOC), an international effort to help cultural heritage sites affected by the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The SOC initiative will support local communities still recovering from the natural disaster. SOC will raise funds for buildings, art objects and collections, and intangible heritage, all of which are at risk.

The collective cultural heritage of eastern Japan was included on the 2012 World Monuments Watch in order to emphasize to the need to secure funding and technical expertise to help in preservation, restoration, and rebuilding efforts in affected communities. Buildings, objects, and traditions—interconnected elements of Japan’s cultural heritage—are all at risk of disappearing in the aftermath of the catastrophe. Save Our Culture is an important step in the recovery effort. The five-year plan, if successful, will make a significant impact on the preservation of eastern Japan’s priceless heritage.