Shirakawa - go village is one of the most scenic places to be that
is to be visited in Japan. It is surrounded by pine tree covered mountains and
it is located along the Shokawa River. They are famous for their traditional
Gassho – zukuri farmhouses, out of which few are more than 250 years old.
Gassho means praying hands, suggesting the form of hands raised in prayer to
the Buddha. These villages have houses that are very big, and have thick
thatched roofs that come down steeply. In this way the snow can slide off the
roofs. There is also enough space under the roofs to store raw materials and
supplies for long winters. Most house owners make the most of their inner space
and use up every square inch by dividing it into several parts, sometimes up to
five levels. The inhabitants of these
villages used to earn their money in the silk industry.
In the 8th century AD
the Shirakawa – go village and Gokayama area was opened up as a place for ascetic religious mountain
worship, centered on Mount Hakusan for an order that combined ancient pre –
Buddhist beliefs with esoteric Buddhism. There are approximately 180 thatched
farmhouses sheds and bams and most of them were built about 200 – 300 years
ago. Shirakawa – go was a part of the
territory Takayama Clan at the beginning of the Edo period, but from the late 17th
century until the Meji Restoration of 1868 it was under the direct control of
the military government. Gokayama was under direct rule by the Kanazawa Clan
throughout the Edo period. The remote nountain villages of Gassho – style houses
in Shirakawa – go and Gokayama on the Hida highlands were registered as
cultural heritage sites during the year 1995.
Shirakawa – go is situated at the foot of Haku – san Mount in
northwestern Gifu Prefecture. It is quiet mountain village with rice fields and
a river running through it. The beautiful Shirakawa – go village is located in
a mountainous region that was cutoff from the rest of the world for a long
period of time. These villages with their Gassho – style houses shows the
cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms.
Shirakawa – go can be
reached by using highway bus from most major cities in Japan. Tickets for buses
to Takayama should be reserved before few days of our approach as Takayama is
popular tourist destinations for both Japanese and foreigners. Beside busses we can reach the village by catching the Shinkansen Bullet train to
Nagoya and there we have to transfer to
a standart train to Takayama. Then
we can move to Takayama Bus Station and can take a ticket to Shirakawa – go. From
this train can enjoy mountainous beauty
that Japan offers to the tourists. Another best option is to hire a car and
drive to Shirakawa – go.
Suganuama one of the main attractions of Gokayama is made up of
two areas. Sunganuma village and the Gokayama Gassho no Sato. The pleasant and
easy way to explore the village is by foot, the two areas are connected to each
other by a tunnel, which are also connected to the parking lot on the hill
overlooking the village via an elevator. Nnear the village we can find Gassho –
zukuri Minka – en outdoor museum which
is made up to 27 thatched roof houses that have been relocated from various
areas in Shirakawa – go. We have two museums in this village. Saltpeter museum
and Folk museum. Making saltpeter an ingredient in gunpowder, was an important
industry for the region during the Edo period. This museum has exhibits on the procedures, tools
and history of the industry in daily life.