This is an ancient architecture in heavy snowfall areas in Japan.

Gassho means praying hands, because a shape of the roof looks like praying hands. Shirakawago and Gokayama are famous for the architecture, but fundamentally Gassho-Dukuri were a main architecture for folk dwelling in Japan. A thatched roof has to be high-pitched to prevent rain penetration and to bear the weight of snow. Gassho-Dukuri is the appropriate architecture.

A part of the rare architecture, Gassho-Dukuri, is designated as UNESCO World Heritage, and it is a precious existence and feeds us ease. Constructions in metropolis are mainly reinforced concrete, and convenience has been enhanced dramatically. However I feel anodyne loneliness.

Each region has each history and aspect, but Gassho-Dukuri is a representative example to express Japanese minds.