The Bizen Gate drawn by the carpenter Ikuzo during the Edo period Overview The Cultural Affairs Council of Japan (Chairman: Katsuhiko Hibi) submitted recommendations to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on June 19, 2026 (Fri), following deliberations and resolutions at the Cultural Properties Subcommittee meeting held on the same day. The recommendations include four new designations, 23 additional or amended designations for Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments, and four new registrations for Registered Cultural Properties. Following official gazette notifications, the total number of Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments is expected to reach 3,401, and Registered Cultural Properties will total 153. Among the 23 additional or amended designations, one involves adding a portion of the Bizen Gate ruins (Uomachi, Himeji City) to the Special Historic Site Himeji Castle Ruins. This marks the first expansion of the Special Historic Site Himeji Castle Ruins since January 2012, when the southern stone wall of the Nakabori Moat (Moto-shio-machi, Himeji City) and part of the stone base of the Sosha Gate turret (Sosha Honmachi, Himeji City) were designated. Location of the Designated Area 71 Uomachi, Himeji City Area of the Designated Region Area added in this designation: 417.47 square meters Previously designated area: 1,078,543.34 square meters Total: 1,078,960.81 square meters Survey status in 2017 (from the north) Stone walls of the Bizen Gate ruins discovered during the 2017 survey (from the south) Current site photo (from the west)