Ice legend – Japan’s Gassho Zukuri Folk Village

The prefectures of Gifu and Toyama in central Japan are home to Gassho Zukuri Folk Village, a unique example of Japan’s traditional architecture. The folk village is comprised of five villages, of which Ogimachi (荻町) is the largest and most famous. Boasting 113 perfectly preserved gassho-zukuri farmhouses, the village was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995. The unique construction of the gassho-zukuri farmhouses, which means “constructed like hands in prayer”, allows the roofs to shed snow in the harsh winters and gives the village its name.

Japan’s Gifu Prefecture was originally earmarked for the construction of a large dam. Surprisingly, it was this proposed development that attracted the attention of Japan’s people to the existence of the unique gassho-zukuri farmhouses. In 1967, villagers began a painstaking process of systematically moving and preserving the old abandoned farmhouses. At the outset,  Shirakawa Prefecture’s Gassho Zukuri Folk Village was a small settlement of just nine farmhouse dwellings and has slowly increased in size to its present scale. It is wonderful to witness the results of all the hard work from the residents of Gassho Zukuri Folk Village, who have not only preserved the region’s traditional architectural skills and culture but also succeeded in qualifying as a UNESCO world heritage site and become a world-renowned tourist attraction. The experiences of Gassho Zukuri Folk Village can be used as a mirror for Taiwan in protecting traditional architecture and culture at home.

Ice legend – Japan’s Gassho Zukuri Folk Village

URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/332801

(以下是中文對照)

冰雪傳奇~日本合掌村

照片

日本岐阜縣白川鄉保有日本傳統建築技術，與聚落文化的合掌村，共有5個村落，其中荻町的規模最大也最有名氣，至今完整保留113棟合掌造，並於1995年成為「世界遺產」。這裡冬季經常下大雪，為了不讓積雪壓垮屋頂，所以，房子建築呈人字型的屋頂外表，看起來就像兩個手手掌合起來，於是房子被稱為「合掌造」，而村莊就被稱為「合掌村」。

白川鄉原被計畫要建設大壩的預定地，沒想卻因此讓日本人注意到，白川鄉特有「合掌式」建築的存在，就掀起「合掌式」建築的保護戰。經過村民的努力，自1967年開始，老舊廢屋被計畫性地移建與保護，「白川鄉合掌村」由僅僅9棟的小聚落，慢慢增加到現在的規模。見證了「合掌村」的居民，為保有傳統建築技術與聚落文化，的努力成果，他們也配合相關單位  讓它成為「世界遺產」，更成為世界知名的觀光景點。合掌村的經驗可以給台灣，對傳統建築文化的保護做為借鏡。