Yui Roof-Thatching

Yui Roof-Thatching

In Shirakawa-go, the practice of villagers helping one another to thatch roofs is called “yui” (mutual assistance). For generations, the massive thatched roofs of gassho style houses have been maintained through this system of cooperation. Because the thatching of a roof is completed in a single day, as many as 200 people might gather to help with a large gassho house. In the past, participants in yui not only provided labor but also brought along the thatching materials themselves, such as reeds and ropes.
Today, thatching has also become a recognized profession, and many roofs are now repaired by local thatching craftsmen. Even so, yui roof-thatching, while adapting to the times, continues to be reliably passed down to younger generations. The yui roof-thatching that survives in Shirakawa Village is now a truly unique and irreplaceable sight in Japan.