People Involved in Yui
In yui (communal roof-thatching), there are many roles. Each villager fulfills their assigned duty, and together they complete the re-thatching of a roof.
Coordinator
Oversees the entire process of roof-thatching. Wearing a red work coat, they direct from the roof ridge or from below, ensuring that work progresses evenly across the structure. This role is taken by a respected elder with great experience.
Katakiri Workers
The gable end of the roof (the side section) is called “katakiri.” Before the main flat thatching takes place, bundles of thatch are applied diagonally in this area.
Since this requires more advanced skill than flat thatching, it is carried out by experienced villagers.
Thatching Specialists
They line up on the roof surface to carry out the flat thatching. When tightening the ropes that bind the thatch, three people work as a team: two pulling the rope ends while one above strikes with a large wooden mallet. Together they chant “Hooi-hoi!” in rhythm as they secure the thatch.
Needle Workers
Inside the roof, they handle large wooden needles, passing them in a row to the places indicated by the thatchers outside. They thread the ropes through the thatch layers accordingly.
Attendance Recorders
They keep a record of everyone who comes to help. From these records, a “yui-cho (ledger)” is created. Those listed are then obliged to assist when the houses of others are re-thatched in return.
Thatch Lifters
Under the coordinator’s direction, they pass bundles of thatch from below the roof up to the thatchers.
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Yui-cho Ledger
Yui-cho Ledger
The Yui-cho Ledger of the Toyama Family in Miboro (1792)
When re-thatching a roof through yui, it was necessary to keep a record of who came to help. By keeping such records, households could return the favor when those families needed their own roofs rethatched. To manage this system, each household maintained a ledger called a “yui-cho,” in which the names of those who helped with roof thatching were recorded.
In addition to names, these ledgers sometimes also included entries for materials such as thatch and rope. Thatch in particular was actively loaned out to others. By lending thatch, villagers avoided the risk of having to store large amounts for long periods, which could expose it to rain and wind damage. Each household harvested thatch annually for future roof use, but instead of stockpiling it, they could lend it to a neighbor, who would then return fresh thatch when the lender’s own roof was due for repair. This way, everyone could re-thatch their roofs using only fresh materials.
The oldest yui-cho ledger confirmed in Shirakawa Village is the “Ledger of Thatching for the Warehouse Roof” belonging to the Toyama family of Miboro, dated 1792. This shows that gassho style roofs have been maintained through the system of yui for at least 230 years.
Names of those who participated are recorded.
Records of Borrowed Thatch