017.Takada 02.Gangi (Japan)

2023-02-01

In Takada, one of Japan's heaviest snowfall places, the Gangi is an arcade that appears by connecting the eaves protruding in front of each house.

See Gangi in the northern part of Nakamachi-dori street.
https://goo.gl/maps/SzTX98Sj5mzMfnoy8

Gangi is an excellent urban device that allows people to come and go while avoiding the snow in the winter. The Gangi is a privately owned space, and the citizens provided it for public use. The distance of the Gangi was 18 km at its peak, and still remains 13 km, showing the magnificence of the public spirit of the Takada citizens.

When I first visited Takada, I was saddened to see the state that traditional wooden Gangis were replaced into steel-framed or modern Gangis. However, everyone grows up and becomes more tolerant. When I visited after a long time, I came to appreciate a mixture of Gangi of various eras, structures, designs, and heights. Those were a device that directly reflected human activity without forcibly controlling.

Most traditional Gangis are the otoshi-shiki style, which eaves were attached in front of the main building. Meanwhile, the old Gangis are the tsukurikomi-shiki style, which placed the dwelling space on top of the gangi. The representative old Gangi is the Imai dyeing shop designated as a cultural property. Strangely, some recent buildings have an overhang part on the second floor, and the lower part is open to the public as the arcade corridor. It design was contemporary but the form was a throwback to the tsukurikomi-shiki style.

The Gangis of some new houses are nearly two stories high. Because, a special regulation in heavy snowfall areas allows to raise the foundation height up to 1.8m. Therefore, the eaves become higher to match the height of the windows on the first floor.

The problem is that the privately owned Gangi disappears when a vacant house is pulled down. An aged man used to lament that they could go from home to school without an umbrella in his childhood. Now, in the snowy season, a place where Gangi breaks off is slippery, and Gangi system doesn't work. Japanese city government's stance of refraining from intervening in private land is the same in Takada. This city government doesn't force Gangi but ask a favor to establish by subsidy. The power to stop toothless state is weak. The future of Gangi cannot be said to be bright.