The large attic spaces were ideal for the silkworm beds necessary for sericulture. Notice the straw rope tightly bound around the roof supports; no nails were used.
The two small World Heritage villages in Gokoyama have fewer visitors and retain more of a traditional atmosphere.
From Tokyo to Takayama, it takes 4.5 hours by train, and from there another 50 minutes by bus to reach Ogimachi (Shirakawa-go). From Tokyo to Kanazawa, it takes around 4 hours by train, followed by 75 minutes by bus. (Some buses require reservation.) In summer, buses running between Nagoya and Kanazawa also stop at Ogimachi.
With the loss of traditional means of support, many of the prayer-houses these days are open to the public. There are guest houses, shops, restaurants and museums of all types. Some museums display the lifestyle of former times while others focus on the tools and production methods of the cottage industries: silkworm beds, materials for saltpeter, the stages of paper making. There’s also an open-air museum at Ogimachi which consists of traditional housing complete with waterwheel and a prayer-hand shrine. Because of the isolation, the area developed a distinctive style of folk song and dance, and these are featured at a museum in Gokoyama.
Thatching the prayer-hand roofs is a huge undertaking. Traditionally, villagers would form collectives to complete the job in a day or two, so as to avoid damp getting into the straw. Nowadays, extendable aluminum ladders have replaced simple wooden ones.
The houses themselves, however, remain the prime attraction with their long wooden floors, open hearths and the beauty of the rice rope wrapped around the rafters. They display a keen sense of craftsmanship. The giant oak beams, for instance, were chosen from trunks that had curved with the weight of snow, because the wood would be sturdier and more resilient, while the buildings were constructed with a flexibility that allowed for earthquakes and severe weather. Built for the most part by simple villagers, the houses stand tribute to the affinity with nature that characterised the lifestyle of past generations in this remote area. In the words of the World Heritage citation, they are ‘outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment’.
On the ground floor are large hearths that are not only used for cooking but to warm the upper floors. The smoke also acts as a preservative for the wooden building.
The World Heritage Sites of
ANCIENT KYOTO
THE CULTURAL HEARTLAND OF JAPAN
Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years and in its river basin was fostered much of the country’s traditional culture: courtly aesthetics, Zen, Noh, the tea ceremony, kabuki, ikebana and the geisha arts. It is truly one of the world’s great cities, recognised by UNESCO with its registration of 17 separate properties (it could have been so many more!).
‘Kyoto embodies all the values that UNESCO treasures,’ says Director General Irina Bokova. ‘It is blessed by glorious nature. It has many intangible assets, like the Gion Festival. And it has wonderful people.’
Geographically speaking, three of the properties lie outside Kyoto City. The temple of Enryaku-ji lies in Otsu City, while Byodo-in and Ujigami Shrine are in the small town of Uji. Historically, however, they are firmly part of Kyoto culture.
In all, the site boasts over 200 buildings and gardens of high artistic merit. Here are places for which people fly across the seas: the Golden and Silver Pavilions, Nijo castle, Kiyomizu Temple, the world’s most famous rock garden. Here are the quintessential elements of a culture that has enriched the world. Here, quite simply, is the glittering heart of Japan.
KYOTO AT A GLANCE
REGISTRATION 1994, as ‘Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)’.
FEATURES 17 properties, comprising 13 Buddhist temples, 3 Shinto shrines and 1 castle.
ACCESS Kyoto is 1 hour 15 mins from Kansai Airport or 2 hours 15 mins from Tokyo by bullet train. Public transport within the city can take time, so a geographical approach is advised (see map).
PRACTICALITIES Tourist information: Kyoto Station bldg 2F, tel. (075) 343-0548. Both Kyoto City and Kyoto Prefecture have English websites with sections on World Heritage Sites. Other useful websites: kyoto-magonote.jp; www.kyotoguide.com; www.kyoto.travel. For volunteer guides, see the list on JNTO’s website.
KIYOMIZU-DERA
TEMPLE OF THE ‘PURE WATER’ SPRING AND KYOTO’S PREMIER PILGRIMAGE SITE
KIYOMIZU-DERA AT A GLANCE
FEATURES A Kita-Hosso sect temple set on a hillside and famous for its viewing platform and Otowa Spring. Also includes the Jishu Shrine.
ACCESS From Kyoto JR stn, 15 mins by bus to Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-zaka and 10 mins walk. Alternatively, 20 mins walk from Kiyomizu-Gojo stn on the Keihan line.
PRACTICALITIES 6.00–18.00. ¥300. Temple tel. 075-551-1234. Allow up to 2 hours.
EVENTS Spring and autumn illumination 18.30–21.30. ¥400.
DATELINE
778—Founded by Enchin Shonin
794—Founding of Heian-kyo (Kyoto)
1629—Fire destroys buildings incl. Main Hall
1633—Rebuilding and pagoda added
Kiyomizu is Kyoto’s premier tourist attraction. Along with its remarkable overhang architecture are spacious grounds, fine views, a ‘love shrine’ and a spring with magical properties (the temple’s name means ‘Pure Water’). The crowded approach, which leads up a slope along a narrow street of shops selling souvenirs and delicacies, is much in keeping with the past when pilgrim-tourists thronged the city’s temples. It lends the magnificent World Heritage buildings a vibrant, bustling atmosphere. (Those who seek peace are advised to go at six in the morning.)
The temple originated in 778 when a Nara priest known as Enchin Shonin had a vision in which the whereabouts of the Otowa Spring was revealed to him. Twenty years later, in gratitude for his victories in the north, the ‘barbarian-subduing generalissimo’ Sakanoue no Tamuramaro donated a large hall which had originated as a palace building of Emperor Kammu. It was used to house an image of the 1,000-armed Kannon (deity of compassion) carved by Enchin.
In later centuries, the temple had to be rebuilt on numerous occasions due to damage by fire or fighting, and the present buildings are nearly all from a 1630s reconstruction. One exception is the fifteenth-century Niomon Gate, with its huge and fearsome protectors.
Schoolchildren