Village in Shin-etusu , Nagano Prefecture

1. Water Mill

Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture
This hut was built around the middle of the 19th century in Nagano Prefecture. Very few water wheels of this type are left in Japan these days. The mill, two motars and two wooden pestles can be seen here.

2. Sasaki house

Minamisaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture
This village chief's house from Nagano Prefecture was built around 1731. The two guest rooms, the bathroom, and the lavatory at the rear of the structure were added 15 years later for special guests. Although it was built in a cold winter region, the relatively light snowfall enabled the use of thin pillars, giving the house a refreshing appearance.

3. Emukai house

Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture
This GASSHO ZUKURI(steep-sloped roof)style house was built between the late 17th century and the early 18th century in a village in Toyama Prefecture where HEIKE( a famous Samurai clan in ancient Japan) refugees were said to have settled. Because snowfall in this region was heavy, the sharply inclined roof was neccesary to prevent the house from collapsing by the weight of the snow.

4. Yamada house

Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture
This GASSHO ZUKURI style house was biult around the early 18th century in Katsura village, in a mountainous region of Toyama Prefecture. Because a dam is being constructed in the region, Katsura village has disappeared already and this house is the last remnant of the village.
The most unusual feature of its construction is that the floor level is very high. The family used the space beneath the floor to make a source of gunpowder as tax payment for the feudal lord.

5. Nohara house

Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture
This GASSHO ZUKURI style house was built around the late 18th century in a mountainous village of Toyama Prefecture.
There are two IRORI(sunken hearths)in the HIROMA, which is a room with wooden floor that served as a living room and kitchen.
The HIDANA, (frame suspended over the hearth)served to dry and preserve things. Trees that grew on cliff sides and therefore had trunks that were bent, were used for the beams above the IRORI. This adds both structural strength and beauty to the house.
The room for the Buddhist altar is the characteristic of Toyama region.

6. Yamashita house

Ohno County, Gifu Prefecture
This GASSHO ZUKURI style house was built around the early 19th century in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture. It was moved to Kawasaki City, and was used as a traditional Japanese restaurant for a while before its final move to MINKA-EN.
The attic of this house was used to raise silkworms and as a storage area for food and firewood.

Posted in: Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum