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合掌造り (gasshouzukuri) Japanese meaning: gassho-zukuri | Kotomora
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Many gassho-zukuri houses remain in Shirakawa-go.
The roofs of gassho-zukuri are steeply pitched so that snow slides off easily.
Kanji 掌 palm of hand, rule, administer Related words 合がっ 掌しょう 合掌 means 'pressing one's palms together in prayer'; 合掌造り is the architectural style named after this shape.
茅かや 葺ぶ き 茅葺き refers to thatched roofing in general, while 合掌造り is a specific architectural style that uses thatched roofs.
Written forms 合がっ 掌しょう 造づく り
Standard kanji spelling for this architectural term.
合がっ 掌しょう 造づくり
Variant spelling without the okurigana り; less common but still encountered.
Etymology From 合掌 (がっしょう, 'pressing palms together in prayer') + 造り (づくり, 'construction, style'), referring to the steep roof shape resembling praying hands.
