Bunkazai TabiA travel guide to Japan’s cultural heritage

Cultural heritage in Gifu

National Treasure buildings and historic districts in Gifu.

Shirakawa-go Ogimachi: The gassho-style village at harvest time

Historic districts

Shirakawa-go Ogimachi

Shirakawa, Gifu

A snow-country farming village where steep thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses stand in rows on terraces along the Sho River, all facing the same way. Listed as a World Heritage Site with Gokayama in 1995, it still re-thatches its roofs through yui, a tradition of communal labor.

Sanmachi, Takayama: The Sanmachi street

Historic districts

Sanmachi, Takayama

Takayama, Gifu

The merchant quarter of Takayama, a town ruled directly by the shogunate from the late 1600s. Townhouses with gently sloping roofs, deep eaves and fine wooden lattices line the three streets of Ichinomachi, Ninomachi and Sannomachi, backed by storehouses that served as firebreaks.

Eiho-ji

Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures

Eiho-ji

Tajimi, Gifu

Eiho-ji is a temple in Tajimi, Gifu. Its Kaizando (Founder's Hall) and Kannondo (Kannon Hall) are designated National Treasures (Early Muromachi period).

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Ankoku-ji

Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures

Ankoku-ji

Takayama, Gifu

Ankoku-ji is a temple in Takayama, Gifu. Its Kyozo (Sutra Repository) is a designated National Treasure (Mid-Muromachi period, 1408).

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Iwamura Honmachi-dori, Ena

Historic districts

Iwamura Honmachi-dori, Ena

Ena, Gifu

Iwamura Honmachi-dori, Ena is a merchant town in Ena, Gifu, selected in 1998 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Mino-machi, Mino

Historic districts

Mino-machi, Mino

Mino, Gifu

Mino-machi, Mino is a merchant town in Mino, Gifu, selected in 1999 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Gujo-Hachiman Kitamachi, Gujo

Historic districts

Gujo-Hachiman Kitamachi, Gujo

Gujo, Gifu

Gujo-Hachiman Kitamachi, Gujo is a castle town in Gujo, Gifu, selected in 2012 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Shimoninomachi and Ojinmachi, Takayama

Historic districts

Shimoninomachi and Ojinmachi, Takayama

Takayama, Gifu

Shimoninomachi and Ojinmachi, Takayama is a merchant town in Takayama, Gifu, selected in 2004 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

Text in preparation