Saturday, June 19, 2010

Suganuma Village - Gassho-Style Houses

Suganuma Village consists of eight Gassho-Style houses in Gokayama along the Sho River. Suganuma Village is one out of two traditional villages in Gokayama on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These villages are located at an altitude of between 300 to 600-meters (980 to 1,970-feet) above sea level and are buried under 2 to 5-meters (6.6 to 16.4-feet) of snowfall in the winter. Gassho-zukuri is a unique architectural style and the houses in Suganuma village have not changed their form for more than 200 years; thereby, meeting one of the requirement/standards to be on the World Heritage List.

Gassho-Style houses subsisted on the rearing of silkworms, gunpowder-making, and paper-making.

The thatched roofs are made of straw acquired in the autumn.

The beams are made of giant oak trees. In addition, the Gassho-Style houses are built with heavy ropes and neso (Hamamelis japonica) due to their strength and flexibility (no metal fixings are used).


Silly stuffed minks outside one of the houses.

No comments: