Miyazawa Kenji Stone Monument (Koharasha)

upper bridge fake jewel

The bridge above was built by Toshinao, the lord of the Nanbu domain, over the Nakatsugawa River at the same time as he built Morioka Castle. Of the bronze imitation jewels decorating the railing, eight have inscriptions dated to 1609 (Keicho 14), and 10 have inscriptions dated to 1611 (1611). It is extremely rare that so many remain, and in 1945 it was designated as a nationally important art object.

Suzuki Shasada

A freedom and civil rights activist from Morioka City. He moved to Tokyo to study at a Christian school, but sympathized with the Freedom and People's Rights Movement led by Taisuke Itagaki and became an activist, and returned home after being recruited by ``Kugasha,'' a central organization in Iwate. He published ``Morioka Shinshi'' and called on people to participate in the freedom and civil rights movement. By merging ``Kyogasha'' and ``Kyodosha,'' it became a political association directly connected to the Liberal Party, and in 1891 it became a permanent member of the Liberal Party, the highest ranking member of the Liberal Party, but in 1881, he suddenly died due to appendicitis before he reached his goal.

Sakakiyama Inari Shrine (Morioka Kaiun Shrine)

When Morioka Castle was built (Keicho 2), Nobunaga Nobunaga, the 26th lord of the Nanbu clan, dedicated Morioka Kaikan Shrine in the Sakakiyama Curve of the castle as a general guardian of the territory to ensure the fate of the clan. The shrine was dedicated to a deity who had been revered by his ancestor, Shinra Saburo Yoshimitsu (a member of the Seiwa Genji clan). There are 14 shrines in the precincts of the shrine, and the shrine is also home to Ryokufuen Garden and Shinji-no-ike Pond, both of which have a long history from the Morioka domain period, creating a solemn Shinto shrine that adds color to the four seasons in Morioka.