Gassho Style Houses (Gassho-zukuri) and History

 

A stable and practical architectual style born from a wisdom for living.

 

   Gassho buildings embody a unique architectural style found presently in only one mountainous region of Japan--that which includes Gokayama, Shirakawa-go, and the areas adjacent to them. The word gassho refers to the shape made by the arms when the right and left palms are brought together during worship in Buddhism. In Gokayama, the roof opens up in a ^ shape, with 2 components referred to as gassho firmly joined at the crown of the building. Even in documents as old as 1648 (Tenpo 5), the characters for gassho can be found.

 

   It is almost as though the shape of the roof, extending towards heaven like prayer hands toward the Buddha, has protected life here in Gokayama. The gassho buildings remaining today are largely approximately 100 to 200 years old, with even older houses said to be dating as far back as 400 years. It is conjectured that the gassho style was developed sometime in the middle part of the Edo period. At that time, sericulture was thriving in Gokayama, with niter production and papermaking being promoted by the Kaga domain. It is thought that multistoried gassho houses were developed in order to accommodate these activities. The  first floor was for papermaking and residence, with a space underneath for niter production. The second floor was equipped with large work spaces as well as lighting and was used for sericulture, which required warmth for the silk worms. To this end, the ceiling of the first floor is constructed with spaced, slatted wood to allow heat from the irori hearth to rise to the second floor. Additionally, smoke from the hearth acted as an insect repellent and extended the life of the timber and roof thatch. The slope of the roof is 60 degrees, and the cross-section of the roof approaches an equilateral triangle, allowing snow to easily slide off. Supporting this large roof is a thick, curved beams called the chonna-bari, an oak naturally shaped from growing on the mountain’s slanted surface. Not a single nail is used in gassho style construction--instead, material from a twisted branch of Japanese witch hazel called neso and rope woven from rice plants are utilized. Because rafters used as the foundation for the peaked roof taper at the bottom edge and are raised into cavities in both sides of usubari cross-pieces, the construction can flexibly withstand earthquakes as well as heavy snow. The thatch used for the roof is kariyasu called kogaya, a plant related to Japanese pampas grass. Kariyasu is cultivated in kayaba hayfields located on steep mountain slopes, harvested every October, then dried and stored. Rethatching takes place from spring to fall. Today, centered around the Shinrin Kumiai forest association, rethatching is conducted every 15 to 20 years.

 

   A stable construction to withstand the deep snows of winter as well as a practical construction combining lifestyle and industry. A tremendous invention born from the great wisdom of people whose names have long been forgotten--that is the gassho style.