Gokayama

Gokayama (五箇山) 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-go in 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.

References

*"Gokayama." Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. vol 1: A-L. 1993: Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.

The Gokayama region is made up of three different villages: Taira, Kamitaira, and Toga. The Ainokura gassho village is located in Taira. Suganuma gassho village is located in Kamitaira.