Also to be designated national treasures are: “Colorful Realm of Living Beings,” a famous painting ... a place in the more general context of Japan’s masterpieces,” noted Toshiyuki Okuma ...

In 2014, he was designated a Living National Treasure, the third rakugo performer ... Since then, he had been putting on a solo show across Japan. His last performance was on Oct. 2, at a theater ...

Japan's unofficial national religion, Shinto, places huge importance on ritual to maintain a connection with the past and with spirits which intervene in human lives. Getty Images The treasures ...