Gokayama
Encyclopedia
Gokayama is a village within the city of Nanto
in Toyama Prefecture
. Its very traditional gasshō-zukuri
style homes make it a nearly unique site, and is regarded a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
, along with the village of Shirakawa-gō
in the Gifu Prefecture
. The maintained existence of this traditional architecture is owed largely to the seclusion created by the village's location in the upper reaches of the Shōgawa river. This is also the reason that Gokayama's lifestyle and culture remained very traditional for many years after the majority of the country had modernized. Many of the houses easily surpass 300 years in age.
Nanto, Toyama
is a city located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-History:As of 2000, 8 municipalities that merged into the city had an estimated total population of 60,182 with an average population density of 89.98 persons per km². The total area is 668.86 km²...
in Toyama Prefecture
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
. Its very traditional gasshō-zukuri
Minka
are private residences constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles.In the context of the four divisions of society, minka were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants , but this connotation no longer exists in the modern Japanese language, and any traditional...
style homes make it a nearly unique site, and is regarded a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, along with the village of Shirakawa-gō
Shirakawa, Gifu (village)
is a village located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is best known for being the site of Shirakawa-gō, a small, traditional village showcasing a style of buildings called gasshō-zukuri....
in the Gifu Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
. The maintained existence of this traditional architecture is owed largely to the seclusion created by the village's location in the upper reaches of the Shōgawa river. This is also the reason that Gokayama's lifestyle and culture remained very traditional for many years after the majority of the country had modernized. Many of the houses easily surpass 300 years in age.