The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan. This protected area includes three traditional mountain villages covering 68 hectares (170 acres) in the faraway Shogawa River valley, which is located near the border of Gifu and Toyama Prefectures in central Japan. Shirakawa-gō, which means "White River Old-District," is found in the village of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture. The Gokayama area, meaning "Five Mountains," is split between the former villages of Kamitaira and Taira in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture.

The valley is in a mountain region with heavy snowfall. The villages are famous for groups of farmhouses built in a special style called gasshō-zukuri, which has steep roofs designed to help snow slide off easily.

Geography

The three villages are located in a remote valley, surrounded by high and rough mountains that receive heavy snowfall during winter. The area's remoteness and difficult access made it very hard to connect with the outside world until about the 1950s. This long period of isolation helped create the region's unique culture and traditions, including the architectural style of Gassho-style farmhouses, which has been passed down through generations. For a time, this area was called "the last unexplored region of Japan."

The Shō River runs through the center of this area. It begins in the southern mountains and flows northward toward the Japan Sea through a deep, curving, and narrow valley, bordered by mountains that reach up to 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) in height. Because of the steep land, most villages in this region are found along the narrow strips of land at the bottom of the valley.

History

Mt. Hakusan is the main mountain in this area and has been considered a holy mountain since ancient times. In the 8th century, the Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama area became a place for religious practices, and people worshipped Mt. Hakusan.

For many years after that, the region was controlled by the Tendai sect of Buddhism in Japan. A story called Ochi-udo Densetsu, which describes warriors who fled to remote areas, still exists today. This is likely because the area is remote and mountainous. In the 13th century, the Tendai sect was replaced by the Jodo Shin sect, which is still the main religious influence today.

Now, all three villages in the world heritage site are part of the modern Mura system, which is an administrative organization.

Agriculture and industry

The area's mountainous land and lack of flat space made it difficult to grow rice in the traditional way. Farmers grew other grains like buckwheat and millet to help meet their needs. However, farming was only enough to support their own families. Products that could be sold from the area included Japanese paper (washi), nitre used in making gunpowder, and sericulture, which is farming silkworms. Silkworm farming began in the 16th century but became a common extra job in the late 17th century. It did well until the 1970s, except during World War II, but has since completely stopped. The need for large indoor spaces to raise silkworms and store mulberry leaves, which silkworms eat, led to the creation of Gassho-style houses. These homes had multi-level roof areas to increase usable space.

House construction

The Gasshō-style house, also called "prayer-hands construction," has a steep, thatched roof shaped like two hands joined in prayer. This design is very strong and, along with the special qualities of the thatching, helps the houses survive and manage the heavy snowfall in winter.

These homes are large, with three to four stories between the low eaves. They were built to house large families and provide space for many types of work. The area has many forests, covering 96% of the land. Before heavy machinery was used, the flat areas near rivers were limited, making farming and building homes difficult. The upper floors of Gasshō houses were often used for raising silkworms, while the space below the first floor was used to make nitre, a material needed for gunpowder.

The Gasshō-style house is one of Japan’s most important and rare types of farmhouses. The large number of surviving examples helped the area gain recognition as a World Heritage Site. This style of house is unique in Japan, as no other place uses roof space in this way for multiple stories.

Today, a system called "yui" still exists for re-thatching the roofs of Gasshō-style houses. Thatching was replaced every 30 to 40 years, and the work was very costly and labor-intensive. Replacing one side of a roof alone would cost more than 10 million yen today, but the work was done without payment.

The process for re-thatching was as follows:

• Planning started at least three years before the work began.
• Workers estimated how much thatch was needed and how many people would be required. Each day, 200 to 300 workers were needed.
• A date was set, and villagers were asked to help with the work.
• Enough thatch was cut and stored in advance, often from a special field reserved for this purpose.
• Roles were divided, such as gathering thatch, carrying it, sorting it, and preparing tools.
• Men did all the physical work, while women prepared food for workers and celebrations.
• Only one side of the roof was completed in two days. Both sides were not worked on at the same time.

In recent years, population decline, the loss of traditional jobs, and an aging population have made it harder to keep these traditions alive. However, the National Trust and volunteers from across the country now help with re-thatching and other tasks. In Shirakawa-go, the group that helps with these activities is called "koryaku." Their work includes not only re-thatching but also farming, weddings, funerals, and other daily tasks.

World Heritage Site

The World Heritage Site includes three historic mountain villages: Ogimachi, Ainokura, and Suganuma. These villages are located in the steep forested mountains of the Chubu Region in central Japan. Ogimachi is in Shirakawa-go, while Ainokura and Suganuma are in Gokayama. The area listed as a World Heritage Site covers 68 hectares (0.68 km²). Each village is protected within a buffer zone called Buffer Zone I, where strict rules help preserve the historic environment. A larger area called Buffer Zone II, totaling 545.38 square kilometers (210.57 square miles), surrounds the villages. In this zone, large-scale development is controlled to protect the natural environment and cultural landscape.

— World Heritage Committee, Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

When the villages were officially listed as a World Heritage Site in August 1994, Ogimachi had 152 households and 634 people. Records from 1876 show that Ogimachi had 99 households and was the largest of 23 villages in the Shirakawa-Muri area. The village is located on a terrace on the eastern side of the Shō River, which is 1,500 meters long and 350 meters wide, at an altitude of about 500 meters.

Most farmhouses are separated by small plots of farmland. A network of narrow roads, 2 to 4 meters wide, connects the houses and dates back to the Edo period. A wider road, 6 meters wide, runs north-south through the village center and was built in 1890. Houses built on steep ground near the mountains sit on small terraces supported by stone walls. Property boundaries are often defined by the small roads, giving the village an open appearance. Most land plots for rice or grain farming are small, with larger plots found on the north and south sides of the village. A Shinto shrine, which houses the village deity, is located in the south-central part of the village. There are also two Buddhist temples of the Jodo Shinsu sect.

The designation of "historic buildings of Ogimachi Village" includes 117 buildings and seven other structures to be preserved. Among these are 59 Gassho-style farmhouses, most built between the end of the Edo period and the end of the Meiji period (early 19th to early 20th century). The ridges of these houses are aligned parallel to the Shō River, creating a unified and attractive village scene.

Ogimachi is located on a high, narrow terraced plateau to the west of the Shō River, surrounded by mountains and forests. Ainokura is at an altitude of about 400 meters and lies on a terraced plateau. An old narrow road runs through the village center, eventually becoming the main mountain access route built in 1887. A newer, wider roadway built in 1958 disrupts the village's view.

In August 1994, Ainokura had 27 households and 90 people. In 1887, it had 47 households and was the fourth largest of 25 villages in the Taira-mura area. Most houses are on flat, open terraces with stone walls and little space around them. Irrigated rice fields surrounding housing are small and irregular in shape, with larger rice fields on the northeast side of the village. Some higher fields were originally used for mulberry trees to raise silkworms. Ainokura had the strongest silk production tradition among Taira-mura villages, but this declined in the 1950s when mulberry fields were converted to rice production. Water for irrigation comes from an aqueduct system that brings water from a mountain river valley through a network of canals.

The designation of "historic buildings of Ainokura Village" includes 67 buildings and five other structures to be preserved. Originally, 20 Gassho-style farmhouses were included, but this number has since increased to 23. Most were built at the end of the Edo period or the end of the Meiji period (early 19th to early 20th century), with the oldest dating to the late 17th century. Room layouts were either four-room squares or larger six-room structures with earthen floors. The Shinto shrine housing the village deity is on high ground near the village center and is now surrounded by Japanese cedar trees. A Buddhist temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect is the religious center of the community.

Suganuma is the smallest of the three villages, with 8 households and 40 people in 1994. In 1889, it had 13 households and was the ninth largest of 19 villages in the Kamitaira-mura area. Suganuma is at an altitude of about 330 meters and sits on a terraced plateau 230 meters by 240 meters, with steep mountain slopes to the south. The forests on these slopes are protected by the World Heritage Site to help hold snow back from the village. Cutting down trees here is not allowed.

Most rice fields or crop plots surround the farmhouses in Suganuma. Only one large irrigated rice field is on the lower side of the village. Irrigation was introduced in 1945; before that, the land was used for mulberry trees to raise silkworms. The designation of "historic buildings of Suganuma Village" includes 28 buildings and two other structures to be preserved. Nine Gassho-style houses remain, with two built at the end of the Edo period (early 19th century) and six built during the Meiji period (1868–1912). The last Gassho-style house was built in 1926. Storehouses were made of wood or earth and built away from homes to reduce fire risk. The Shinto shrine for the village deity is now on a slight rise but has been moved twice since the 1930s.

Because of the way they are built, fire is a serious risk for many buildings in the World Heritage Site. All three villages have complex fire-fighting systems, and residents are organized into fire-fighting teams.

In addition to being a World Heritage Site, the villages are also designated as "Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings" under Japan's Law for Protection of Cultural Properties. This requires preservation plans to protect the buildings and prevent activities that could damage them or change the landscape.

Each property owner is responsible for managing and repairing their home, but they must follow traditional methods and materials and follow agreed preservation plans. The Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese government, along with other agencies such as the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of