Nitobe Inazo

Iwate Prefectural Civic Center

The Iwate Prefectural Civic Center plays a central role in Iwate Prefecture's artistic culture, and is used for multiple purposes such as music, theater, and gatherings. The bronze statue ``Habataki'' created by Yasutake Funakoshi, which stands on the front right, symbolizes the rapid growth of Iwate's artistic culture.

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.

Takuboku Bokyo Hill

To commemorate the souls of the Takuboku couple, a statue of Takuboku Bokyo was erected on the top of the rocky mountain, Takuboku Bokyo Hill, overlooking the local mountains and rivers. The statue faces his hometown, Mt. Himekami, and is engraved with one of Takuboku's favorite poems, ``In autumn, I listen to the insects that fill the three fields at the foot of Mt. Iwate.'' Nearby, a ``couple poem monument'' of a poet and his wife was erected, one of a kind in Japan, and Takuboku's ``When I see the mountains of my hometown far to the north through the train window, I straighten my neck,'' and his wife Setsuko's ``Hikari.'' Two poems are engraved on it: ``From the faint sound of crickets in the evening, the arrival of autumn, and the embrace of my heart.'' The two of them, both young and only in their 20s, fell ill due to poverty and passed away one after another, and now they are gazing at the mountains and rivers of their hometown in the form of songs.