[Iwate Enjoyment Model Course] A journey through Iwate’s stories and iron manufacturing

Located halfway up Mt. Koshio, one of the 32 mountains called Mt. Mbeki where Kenji intended to bury the Lotus Sutra, you can get a glimpse of Kenji's world of diverse activities. facility. The exhibition features screen footage, related materials, and the creative process that leads to the creation of the work.

A facility where you can experience a dream-filled world based on Kenji Miyazawa's fairy tales. ``Kenji's School,'' an experience facility with five zones depicting the world envisioned by Kenji, and ``Kenji's Classroom,'' a log house exhibition facility, feature exhibits related to Kenji's fairy tales, as well as Kenji's works and Hanamaki specialties. There are also stores with a wide variety of items.

Tono is home to the ``Makashiwagura'' where you can learn about the world of folk tales, the ``Yanagita Kunio Exhibition Room'', which relocated the Takazen Ryokan where Kunio Yanagida stayed and the main house where he spent his later years, and the ``Tono-za'' where you can enjoy folk tales and local performing arts. You can experience the world of folk tales. There is also a restaurant where you can enjoy local cuisine, making it a facility that everyone from adults to children can enjoy.

●Let's listen to folk tales (folk tales collection)

April to November 11:00 13:00 14:00

8/1～8/31 10:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 15:00

December to March 13:00 (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only)

This is a place where the city's ``Nanbu Magariya'' was relocated and preserved, recreating the nostalgic farming village of Tono. You can experience various rural areas such as ``mochi pounding'', ``soba making'', and ``rope making'' in a peaceful landscape. In addition, there is a ``Maburitto'' in the hometown village who protects the culture and traditions of Tono, and they also act as instructors for rural experiences and provide gentle support.

Curved houses, waterwheels, folk tales, gods, customs, and local cuisine. Denshoen is a facility that preserves the lifestyle culture of the Tono people that was commonplace in the past, and passes it on to future generations. Experience the original scenery of Japan's hometown with your eyes, ears, skin, and tongue.

At the restaurant, you can enjoy local cuisine such as ``Hitsumi'' and ``Keiran.'' Densoen's ``Hittsumi'', which uses plenty of chicken bones, has a rich and refreshing taste, and is very popular with locals.

Kappa-buchi, located behind Joken-ji Temple, has clear water flowing through it and is covered with thick bushes, making it look like a kappa will appear at any moment. On the shore of the abyss, there is a small shrine dedicated to the god Kappa, and it is said that if a woman with a child makes a wish for breast milk, her wish will come true. When making a wish, it is customary to make the shape of a breast out of red cloth and place it in this shrine.

It was built between 1858 and 1858 under the technical guidance of Kato Oshima, said to be the father of modern steelmaking, and was later run by the Nanbu domain, making it the oldest Western-style blast furnace site. It has been designated as a national cultural property (historic site). In addition to the ruins of three blast furnaces, the ruins of a water mill, a shrine, a tenement house, and a mountain shrine have also been confirmed, and the remains show the operating and management conditions at the time, and are important for the modernization of the steel industry in Japan. As a symbolic historical site, its value is extremely high. On April 3, 1981, it was recognized as a historical heritage by the American Metals Institute and received the "Historical Landmark Award." On July 5, 2015, "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel Manufacturing, Shipbuilding, and Coal Industry," including the Hashino Iron Mine (Hashino Blast Furnace Ruins and Related Sites), was announced at the 39th World Congress held in Bonn, Germany. It was registered as a World Heritage Site by the Heritage Committee.

This is an iron museum unique to Kamaishi, the birthplace of modern steel manufacturing in Japan. A comprehensive performance theater that introduces the history of iron manufacturing in Kamaishi with sound, light, and video, centering around a model of a blast furnace that has been restored to full size, as well as visual equipment such as 3D images of the steelmaking process at the time and a computer-based Q&A about iron are also installed. You can enjoy learning about the history of iron. You can see a panoramic view of Kamaishi Bay from the observation terrace. A gas lamp related to Takato Oshima has been installed. The Iwate Prefecture City Gas Association donated a gas lamp (approximately 4m high) to Kamaishi City, which has been installed and lit in front of the entrance of the Iron History Museum. At dusk, the gentle light unique to gas lamps creates a magical atmosphere. [Origin of gas lights] Gas lights were first used as street lights in the 5th year of Meiji when they were installed by Kaemon Takashima in the foreign settlement in Yokohama, but 17 years earlier, in 2nd year of Ansei. It is said that gas lamps in Japan originated when Takato Oshima, who is said to be the father of modern steelmaking, used the coal gas generated in the process of making coke from coal for lighting.