岐阜県大野郡白川村(荻町)、富山県東砺波郡平村(相倉)・上平村(菅沼)(いずれも現富山県南砺市)は自然環境および文化的景観の保全をすべき山村集落として、平成7年(1995年)12月に世界文化遺産に登録されました。
　なかでも我が国有数の豪雪地で厳しい自然環境の中にある白川村(以下、白川郷と記す)には大型の木造民家群が構成されており、茅葺の「合掌造り」の大きな屋根でできた家屋は、古くからの日本の伝統文化や生活様式、人々の心を包み込んで今日まで受け継がれています。
　白川郷は17世紀末期から江戸幕府の直轄支配下にあり、住民は農耕、山林・樹木の伐採・搬出の他、合掌造り家屋を利用した養蚕や焔硝造りにも取り組んできました。
　村の生活では住民同士の相互扶助を実現した「結」の組織が確立されており、茅葺屋根の葺き替え作業の共同作業など今日もその習慣が残されています。文化の面では神社の例祭、年中行事なども連綿と受け継がれており、人々の心の中に刻み込まれた自然とともに生き、住民同士が助け合う様子が世界遺産の重要な柱であるといえます。
　白川郷では合掌造り家屋集落を後世まで残すことと合わせて結の心を受け継いでいくことも世界遺産の対象と言えるでしょう。
World Heritage, Historic Village of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
　The Shirakawa-go, Gokayama area was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in December 1995. It is made up of the hamlets of Ogi-machi, in Shirakawa Village, Ohno-gun, Gifu Prefecture, and Ainokura, in Taira Village, Higashitomina-gun, and Suganuma, in Kamitaira Village, both in Toyama Prefecture. The mountain villages lie in a rich natural environment, and keep their traditional culture.
　Among them, Shirakawa Village (called Shirakawa-go) which gets some of the heaviest snowfalls in the country consists of large wooden houses built to endure this severe natural environment. The houses made with big thatched roofs or “Gassho zukuri” continue to embrace traditional Japanese culture, the people's life style, and the people's mindset since ancient times.
　Shirakawa-go was under the direct control of the Edo Shogunate from the end of the 17th century. In addition to logging, villagers then worked on sericulture and gunpowder production utilizing the properties of Gassho-style houses.
　In village life, the concept of “Yui” is a unique custom which remains today. “Yui” is achieved by mutual cooperation between villagers. It can be seen when villagers join to work together on rethatching a house, for example. In terms of culture, the spirit of local annual events and the festivals of the shrines have been handed down, and live deeply in the hearts of the locals. This, too, is an important criteria of World Heritage Sites.
　The passing down of the Yui spirit from generation to generation as well as Gassho-style houses must have surely helped qualify Shirakawa-go for World Heritage status.