Chairman Kiyoshi Kishida
Chairman, Creative ASUWA.
Former Chairman, Asakura Clan Ruins Preservation Association.
Born and raised in Ichijodani, Kiyoshi Kishida has spent half a century sharing the appeal of the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins. He still works as a tour guide, showing visitors around the ruins.
A Life Rooted in Ichijodani
He was born in 1947 on the site of the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins. When excavation of the ruins began in 1967, he became fascinated by the history beneath his hometown.
He joined the Asakura Clan Ruins Preservation Association in 1974, became a director in 1980, served as vice chairman for 24 years from 1984, and led the association as chairman for 16 years from 2008. By the time he stepped down in May 2024, he had served on its board for 44 years.
At 57 he retired early from his job at Keifuku Bus to devote himself to the association. Soon afterwards, the Fukui floods of July 2004 struck, and he joined fellow members in volunteer recovery work.
Putting the Ruins on the Map
Throughout his years with the association, he worked tirelessly to promote the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins to visitors.
At the 2009 National Tree Planting Festival, he welcomed the Emperor and Empress (now the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita) and other members of the Imperial Family to the ruins. In 2010 the ruins appeared in a SoftBank television commercial, drawing attention from across Japan.
Projects he had long hoped for, including the illumination of the Karamon Gate, burying overhead power lines and building a new museum, have all come to pass. Annual visitors grew from 380,000 in 2005 to 880,000 in 2025.
A Well-Known Guide
As a guide, he speaks in plain words and with a smile, whoever his audience. He sometimes greets overseas visitors dressed in armor or a samurai surcoat.
He also started a program in which local fifth- and sixth-graders guide visitors around the ruins, hoping to raise children who can speak with confidence and take pride in their hometown.
Toward World Heritage
The Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins hold three national designations: Special Historic Site, Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Important Cultural Property. Other sites with the same triple designation, such as Kinkakuji and Itsukushima Shrine, are already World Heritage Sites.
To allow excavation and preservation, local families gave up farmland handed down for generations. Grateful to them and to the officials who worked alongside them, he continues his work.
Since 2024 he has served as chairman of Creative ASUWA, an association working toward World Heritage inscription for the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins.
Career
| 1947 | Born on the site of the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins |
| 1974 | Joins the Asakura Clan Ruins Preservation Association |
| 1980 | Director of the association |
| 1984 | Vice chairman of the association (24 years) |
| 2004 | Retires from Keifuku Bus to devote himself to the association |
| 2008 | Chairman of the association (16 years) |
| 2010 | Governor’s award for contributions to community service, Fukui Prefecture |
| 2011 | Award for distinguished service, Fukui City |
| 2019 | Award for contributions to tourism promotion, Japan Travel and Tourism Association |
| 2024 | Chairman, Creative ASUWA Steps down as chairman of the preservation association in May |
| 2026 | Fukui Shimbun Culture Award |
Chairman Kiyoshi Kishida Receives the Fukui Shimbun Culture Award (November 2026)