Gassho-Style Villages of Central Japan
When renowned German architect Bruno Taut first visited Shirakawa-go in May 1935,
he was struck by the rationality, logic, and strange beauty of the region's gassho-style architecture.
Years after his efforts first brought them to the world's attention,
the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the villages of Ogimachi (in Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture),
Ainokura (in the Gokayama region of Nanto, Toyama Prefecture),
and Suganuma (also in Gokayama) to the World Heritage List in December 1995.
The Gokayama region is home to two gassho-style villages: Ainokura and Suganuma. With 20 and 9 gassho-style structures, respectively, the villages’ bucolic scenery and unassuming atmosphere lend themselves to quiet, leisurely appreciation.
Shirakawa-go, a village of 100 variously sized gassho-style structures located in the Ogimachi district of Shirakawa, Gifu, boasts the lively atmosphere of a bustling tourist site.
