Wada House

Largest gassho-zukuri farmhouse in Shirakawa-go, built in the late Edo period by a family that held the position of village headman for generations. The Wada family's wealth came from saltpeter production and, from the later 1800s, silk cultivation. Unlike typical gassho-style buildings with a single front entrance, the Wada House has a formal pair of doors opening into tatami rooms, reserved for government officials who visited in connection with the family's oversight of a domain checkpoint. The north-side garden is a rarity in Shirakawa-go, where heavy snow makes traditional gardens difficult to maintain.