Shōkawa, Gifu

Shōkawa (荘川村, Shōkawa-mura) was a village located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

On February 1, 2005, Shōkawa, along with the town of Kuguno, and the villages of Asahi, Kiyomi, Miya, Nyūkawa and Takane (all from Ōno District), the town of Kokufu, and the village of Kamitakara (both from Yoshiki District), was merged into the expanded city of Takayama and no longer exists as an independent municipality.

[1] In Fall, the village puts on Japan's longest lion dance festival (Renjishi - 連獅子).

In 1999, a prehistoric reptile, Shokawa ikoi, was discovered and named after the town.

Some of the coldest settlements of mainland Japan (Honshu) can be found on this plateau, with a climate similar to that of Hokkaidō, boasting an average of 10 metres snowfall throughout the winter season and giving rise to a selection of ski resorts and winter activities.