Gifu Prefecture Specialties, Souvenirs, Shrines, Temples, and Travel | 47 Prefecture Guide

Gifu is an inland prefecture located right in the center of Japan. Food and crafts are clearly divided between Hida in the north and Mino in the south.

Specialties

Mino ware accounts for a large share of ceramic tableware production in Japan. Many of the bowls and plates used today are fired around Tajimi and Toki.

The defining feature of Mino ware is that it has no single specific style. There are named styles such as Shino, Oribe, and Ki-Seto, but as a production region overall, it can fire almost anything. It is the opposite path from other production areas that survived by saying, “We make only this.”

Hida beef, horse chestnuts, and pickles prepared in the depth of winter. The fact that this was an inland region where fish did not reach easily has deepened its preserved-food culture.

Souvenirs

Mino ware vessels are souvenirs with a wide price range. They run from small plates costing a few hundred yen to pieces by individual artists.

Gohei mochi, horse chestnut crackers, Hida sake. And Gifu lanterns are made with Mino washi paper and thin bamboo strips.

Shrines and Temples

Nangu Taisha Shrine (Tarui Town) is a central presence among shrines across Japan that enshrine Kanayamahiko-no-Kami, the deity of metals and mining. It is known for drawing many worshippers connected with knives and metalwork.

In this series, we have looked many times at production areas for knives and metalwork. Sakai, Echizen, Kochi, Tsubame-Sanjo, and Takaoka. This is the place where those people come to put their hands together in prayer. Industry is accompanied by the faith that supports it.

Inaba Shrine (Gifu City) is known for its spacious grounds and long approach. It was originally located at Maruyama on Mount Inaba (Mount Kinka), and is said to have been moved to its present site in 1539 when Saito Dosan built Inabayama Castle.

The three-story pagoda and great ginkgo tree at Hida Kokubunji Temple (Takayama City) are also places that convey the faith of this region.

Sightseeing

Shirakawa-go was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1995. The steeply pitched roofs are shaped to let snow slide off naturally. The spacious attic area was once used for sericulture.

The old streets of Hida Takayama, the water town of Gujo Hachiman, and Gero Onsen. The float events of the Hida festivals were included in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.

Traditional Crafts

Nationally designated items are Mino ware, Mino washi paper, Hida Shunkei lacquerware, Ichii ittobori carving, Gifu lanterns, and Gifu wagasa umbrellas, making 6 items.

Honminoshi paper is one of the three elements of the 2014 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage “Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paper.” Hida Shunkei is made by applying a thin coat of transparent lacquer Showing the wood grain lacquerware.

For details, see 【VILLAGE Report vol.26】Nearly half of the vessels on the dining table

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References: Gifu Prefecture, Tajimi City, Mino City, Takayama City, Tarui Town, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries — Value Village Editorial Team