HISTORICAL ACTION METHOD AND MODERN PROCESSES OF JAPAN ANCIENT CITIES REVITALIZATION (ON THE cities HAGI, Onomichi AND Ōmihachiman EXAMPLE)

The problem of preserving the historical memory of ancient historical cities is becoming particularly
important today due to the strengthening globalization, which has become a driving force for the migration of
people and resources to capitals and other large cities. In some small towns, this problem is successfully solved
thanks to the efforts of local authorities or the active population, but in most cases, the desolation progresses.
Japan is an example of a country where the process of reviving small historical cities is successful, using
various, often non-traditional, creative methods and ideas. Therefore, we chose Japan to study the experience of
reviving the historical city to further apply it in Ukraine. During the study of the processes and methods of the
revitalization of ancient cities in Japan, the relationship between the current driving force of revitalization and the
specifics of the local historical model of their management was revealed. The study was conducted on examples of
the historical cities of Hagi, Onomichi and Omi Hachiman, located in different regions of the country. These
examples reveal a direct relationship between the historical model of management and the modern driving force of
the revitalization in every city. It allows us to speak about the existence of the phenomenon of their stable
historical mode of action, which remains relevant even now.
In the course of the study, it was found that the ratio of driving forces in the process of revitalization in the
cities of Hagi, Onomichi and Omi Hachiman is fundamentally different. In Hagi's case, the role of the local
administration is primary. In Onomichi, the power of local community associations, businesses, and individuals
dominates. In the case of Omi Hachiman, an extremely interesting phenomenon can be traced – the local
administration and the community work together to revitalize the city. The revitalization of a city can be successful
regardless of who initiates it, but in Hagi, Onomichi and Omi Hachiman, there is a direct relationship between the
current driving force of revitalization processes and the historical model of governance of these cities. This gives
grounds to state the existence of the phenomenon of a sustainable historical mode of action in the cities of Japan,
which remains relevant and is actively manifested even now.
In particular, feudal castle towns, which in the past were under direct samurai rule, are now characterized
by a top-down scheme of revitalization activities, where the main driving initiative belongs to the local
administration (for example, in Hagi). Port and commercial cities with a historically independent management
system are currently characterized by a bottom-up revitalization scheme, where the main initiative belongs to local
communities and individuals (for example, in Onomichi). Historical cities of samurai rule with well-developed
trade and, accordingly, a system of self-government, today are characterized by a mixed scheme of driving forces
of revitalization with mutual initiatives of both local authorities and residents (for example, in Omi Hachiman).