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Shirakawa Village - Nagase House

Ingeniously Constructed

The Nagase family, originally doctors from the Maeda clan of the Kaga Domain, moved to Shirakawa-go and built this five-story Nagase Family House in 1890. In the year 2001, the thatched roof of the house was replaced with a new one, which became a huge local event, attracting visitors from all over Japan.

The Nagase family was originally a family of doctors from the Maeda clan in the Kaga Domain (present-day Ishikawa Prefecture) during the Warring States period of Japan, and later moved to Shirakawa Village 白川郷 (Shirakawa-go). In 1890, the fifth generation of Nagase family members, with the help of the local villagers, built this Gassho-zukuri Nagase Family House 長瀬家住宅.

The three upper floors of this five-story farmhouse were originally the Sericulture and Working Space, where a number of old farming, logging, and sericulture tools are displayed. On the ground floor of the main house is the owner’s living area, where Lacquerware and Medical Instruments handed down through the generations by the Nagase family are on display.

Manywhere Trivia:
Gassho-zukuri 合掌造り is a unique architectural style because it resembles the hands folded in salute to Buddha.

In 2001, the Nagase family’s house started its most recent Gassho-zukuri Thatched Roof Renovation, which is done in every 80 years. More than 500 people from all over Japan came here to witness this event.