[Morioka Hometown Guide] Course B

Morioka Hachimangu Shrine was built in 1680 by the 29th Lord Shigenobu Nanbu. The deity enshrined at Morioka Hachimangu Shrine is Shinada Wake no Mikoto (15th Emperor Ojin), who has been revered by local people since ancient times as the god of the roots of human life such as agriculture, industry, commerce, learning, food, clothing, and shelter. have been collected. Due to disasters such as the Great Morioka Fire in 1884 and damage from wind and snow over many years, the shrine building has been repeatedly rebuilt, and the current shrine building was rebuilt in December 1997. The vermilion-painted main shrine building with its colorful carvings exudes an imposing atmosphere as the new ``face of Morioka.'' As the largest shrine in the prefecture, and as a place of worship and celebrations that are rooted in people's lives, it is still crowded with visitors throughout the year.

The 21 stone statues that remain on the grounds of Souryuji Temple were built to commemorate the victims of the famine that occurred during the Nanbu domain era. It was started in 1837 and completed in 1849, thirteen years later. It took over half a year just to transport the rock from the neighboring town of Yahaba, where it was cut, to this location. In addition, the statues were carved by craftsmen employed by the domain, and stone statues made by local stonemasons are rare in Japan.

Daijiji Temple, also known as Hara Takashi's family temple, was built in 1673 with a rare Chinese-style temple gate. The hall was destroyed in a fire in 1899, but the Sanmon gate and the warehouse were rebuilt thanks to Takashi Hara's generosity.

A wealthy merchant family during the feudal period. Located in Somon, the gateway to the castle town of Morioka, it retains its original appearance and has a quaint earthen storehouse structure with fire prevention in mind. It was designated as a cultural property by Iwate Prefecture in 1981.

The family temple of Mitsumasa Yonai, the prime minister from Morioka. Founded during the Kanbun era (1661-1672). There is a neck mound that tells the legend of a lotus who stole the head of his executed father and offered it as a memorial service. It has been designated as a city-designated preservation building.

Gidaji and Daijiji are the water sources. It is built in a box shaped like a doll's platform, and from the top it is used for drinking water, rice polishing, washing water, and foot washing. It is still used by many people as daily water.

　The sake brewery of the "Former Iwategawa Nataya-cho Factory", where sake was brewed until 2006, was renovated and opened as "Morioka Machiya Monogatari-kan".

　Of the four buildings, "Hamato's Sake Brewery" offers visitors a look at the history of the brewery and a video recording of the Showa period. In the "Gashiya" (the space under the eaves between the warehouses), visitors can view exhibits of valuable materials from the old Iwate River, and in the "Main House" there is a general information desk and community space where sightseeing information, art exhibitions, various lectures, and other events are held.

　The Taisho-gura, a sake brewery built in the Taisho era, has a "Toki-no Shotengai" on the first floor that sells Morioka's specialties and crafts, gelato, and a coffee shop, while the "Toki-no Exhibition Room" on the second floor is a gallery that regularly holds special exhibitions of art works from Morioka's collection.

You can see the process of making delicious local sake, which is unique to Morioka, a city with clean water, and learn about sake making. A guide will be available for tours of the facility, including the brewery (Showa Asahigura), product factory, and local sake product center.