Welcome to Shirakawa-go and Gokayama!

Nestled in the mountains between Toyama and Gifu prefectures, are the historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. These villages, isolated from the rest of Japan by rugged terrain and severe winters, subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees, the raising of silkworms and raw silk production, and the manufacture of gunpowder. The architectural style of the local farmhouse, called ‘gassho-zukuri,’ is considered a national treasure. Found nowhere else in Japan, these structures were designed with a long and sharply pitched roof so that the weight of the snow did not crush them.

The region was originally settled during the 12th century by members of the Taira clan (the Heike) who sought refuge after their defeat by the Minamoto clan (the Genji) following decades of civil war. Well preserved to this day, the Shirakawa-go and Gokayama villages attained World Heritage status on December 9, 1995.

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The word ‘gassho’ means praying hands and ‘zukuri’ loosely translated, means style. The architectural style of these farmhouses came to be known as ‘gassho-zukuri’ because when viewed from the front, the roof resembles two hands posed in prayer. Gassho-zukuri is known for a number of unique characteristics including the sharp pitch of their roofs, their unusually large size and the fact that no nails were used in their construction..

The roof beams are joined at a 60 degree angle to the vertical center and extend almost to the base creating nearly an equilateral triangle. They are covered in straw nearly 4 feet thick which helps insulate the interior from the extreme cold in winter, and heat in summer. Because the region is snow bound for about half the year, the farmhouses were bigger than most in Japan having been designed to accommodate living, working and storage areas as well as large extended families which were necessary for the labor-intensive work involved in sericulture.


The winters in Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are not only cold, but very windy so the farmhouses were designed to be flexible. The structural beams and support pillars were joined by the use of wooden dowels and lashing made of straw and hazel branches. Most of the farmhouses were built facing north to south with the gable, having the smallest surface area, positioned northward – into the wind.

Local residents, many of whom are descendants of the Taira clan, live in adjacent towns and are directly involved in protecting and maintaining the historic villages as well as the surrounding landscape.

JapanCorner 2005