Revitalization of Historical Heritage Using Pop Culture in Japan: Shiroishi City and the Game/Anime Sengoku Basara

This research note examines the processes of tourism promotion and local cultural heritage revitalization using the video game/anime Sengoku BASARA, focusing on the case of Shiroishi city in Miyagi prefecture, Japan. Through interviews with people directly involved in the tourism sector and local media or online sources, the unfolding of the tourism boom is described. The article looks especially at the involvement of three groups—fans (tourists), local community, and the anime/game production company—and divides the processes of tourism development and promotion into five stages. Participatory events are flourishing through the efforts of local citizens and fans, who join together in appreciating the historical heritage of the local region. These findings suggest that a key to the successful use of game contents to promote historical tourism for the game/anime to be treated as an opportunity, and to have the fans of the game/anime become fans of the local region. Such a process encourages local residents to feel pride towards the history. An important factor in achieving this is to connect the present-day contents depicted in the game/anime with the authentic historical contents in the local region. Finally, the attractiveness as well as the depth of the local region must be shown to the fans. It must be presented to the local residents that the fans of the game/anime are not just admirers of the work, but that they are actually admiring the historical character of the local region and the history of the local region. These suggestions imply the possibility of a new form of tourism where new cultures can be created by revitalizing the local heritage.