Shirakawa-go

This refers to the area in the western part of the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture, including the Shokawacho district of Takayama City and Shirakawa Village in Ono County, along the upper reaches of the Shogawa River. It was once known as a hidden region, but now tourism and power development are thriving here. Looking back in history, an ancient mirror from the late Heian period was excavated from the former Hakusan Shrine in Mumaya (Shokawacho district), at the very top of the Shogawa River. There is also a legend that the Heike clan's refugees, who were defeated in the Battle of Kurikara Pass in 1183 (Juei 2), settled here. In 1265 (Bun'ei 2), Kanenbo Zenshun, a disciple of Shinran, opened a dojo (later known as Shorenji Temple) in Hatoya (Shirakawa Village), and the full-scale missionary work of the Jodo Shinshu sect began. Later, in 1460 (Kansho 1), Uchigashima Shogen entered the valley, and in 1475 (Bunmei 7) he took control of all of Shirakawa-go. However, the clan was suddenly wiped out when Mt. Kaerikumo collapsed in a major earthquake in 1585 (Tensho 13). During the Edo period, parts of the area were the property of the Kanamori clan, and later became a shogunate territory, while parts continued as Shorenji territory. Until the Meiji and Taisho periods, the area was a remote area with poor transportation access, and a distinctive large family system that was born out of the harsh natural conditions remained. The large thatched gabled gassho-style houses are famous. In this extended family system, the head of the household had absolute authority, and only the head of the household and the eldest son, who was the heir, were allowed to officially marry. The second, third, and subsequent sons were not allowed to branch out into new families or officially marry.Everyone worked as a family, engaging in slash-and-burn farming and sericulture, and 30 to 40 people lived in each household.

After the Second World War, the momentum for power development increased suddenly, and with the construction of the Miboro Dam and other dams, many residents in the flooded areas were forced to leave their villages. Meanwhile, the National Route 156 linking Gifu and Takaoka was developed, and the Hakusan Super Forest Road (now the Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road) leading to Ishikawa Prefecture was also constructed. In addition, the Shirakawa-go and Shogawa interchanges on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway were opened. Dam compensation was used to build ski resorts, golf courses, and villa areas, and public facilities such as the town hall were renovated. Shirakawa-go, along with Gokayama (Toyama Prefecture), was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1995 (Heisei 7) as the Gassho-zukuri Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Shirakawa is known for its gabled gassho-style houses in Ogimachi (Shirakawa Village), Japan's first large-scale rockfill dam, the Miboro Dam, Shiramizunotaki Falls, and Jurassic fossil sites in Ushimaru and Ogamigo, as well as the Shirakawa Village folk song "Kodaijin" and the Doburoku Festival. To the west lies Hakusan National Park, and there is a village-run hot spring in Hirase, Shirakawa Village, at the foot of Mt. Hakusan.

[Masanobu Ueshima]

"Life and Folklore of the World Heritage Gassho-style Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama" by the Tobetsu Gassho Culture Research Group (1996, Gifu Shimbun)" ▽ "Shirakawa-go: The Path to Sustainable Conservation of the World Heritage Site" edited by Goda Shoji (2004, Nakanishiya Publishing)" ▽ "Shirakawa-go Gassho-style Q&A" by Miyazawa Satoshi (2005, Tomo Shobo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岐阜県飛騨(ひだ)地方の西部、高山市荘川(しょうかわ)町地区、大野郡白川村などを含む庄川(しょうがわ)上流域の一帯をさす。秘境として知られていたが、現在は観光・電源開発が盛ん。歴史をさかのぼると、庄川最上流の六厩(むまや)（荘川町地区）の旧白山(はくさん)神社からは平安時代後期の古鏡が出土しており、また、1183年（寿永2）の倶利伽羅(くりから)峠の戦いで敗れた平家の落人(おちゅうど)が住み着いたという伝説もある。1265年（文永2）親鸞(しんらん)の弟子嘉念坊善俊(かねんぼうぜんしゅん)が鳩谷（白川村）に道場を開き（のちの照蓮寺）、浄土真宗の本格的な布教が始まった。その後、1460年（寛正1）内ヶ島将監(しょうげん)がこの谷へ入り、1475年（文明7）全白川郷を支配した。しかし、同氏は1585年（天正13）の大地震で、帰雲山(かえりくもやま)の崩壊とともに突然滅亡した。江戸時代には金森氏領、のち天領となった所と、一部照蓮寺領として続いた所がある。明治、大正時代までは交通不便な秘境で、厳しい自然条件のもとに生まれた、特色のある大家族制度が残存した。かや葺(ぶ)きの大きな切妻合掌造(きりづまがっしょうづくり)の民家は有名である。この大家族制度は、家長が絶対の権限をもち、家長と相続人たる長男にのみ正式結婚が認められ、次三男以下は分家も正式結婚も許されず、皆家族として、焼畑耕作や養蚕に従事しながら、1軒に30～40人が生活した。

　第二次世界大戦後、電源開発の気運が急に高まり、御母衣ダム(みぼろだむ)などの建設に伴い、水没地域の多数の住民は立退き離村を余儀なくされた。一方道路は岐阜と高岡を結ぶ国道156号が整備され、石川県に通ずる白山スーパー林道（現在は白山白川郷ホワイトロード）も建設された。さらに東海北陸自動車道の白川郷、荘川の両インターチェンジが開設されている。ダム補償によるスキー場、ゴルフ場、別荘地の建設や役場など公共施設の改築も行われた。白川郷は、五箇山(ごかやま)（富山県）とともにその合掌造集落が、1995年（平成7）、「白川郷・五箇山の合掌造り集落」として世界遺産の文化遺産として登録されている。荻町(おぎまち)（白川村）などの切妻合掌造の民家、日本初の大規模のロックフィルダム御母衣ダム、白水ノ滝、牛丸・尾上郷(おかみごう)のジュラ紀化石産地があり、白川村の民謡「古大尽(こだいじん)」「どぶろく祭」とともに知られている。西には白山国立公園も連なっており、白山麓(ろく)の白川村平瀬には村営温泉も開設されている。

［上島正徳］

『飛越合掌文化研究会著『世界遺産の合掌造り集落　白川郷・五箇山のくらしと民俗』（1996・岐阜新聞社）』▽『合田昭二編『白川郷　世界遺産の持続的保全への道』（2004・ナカニシヤ出版）』▽『宮沢智士著『白川郷合掌造Q＆A』（2005・智書房）』

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