Roadside station “Mizusawa”

scattered settlement

A village where houses are built far apart in the middle of a rice field or field is called a scattered village. It is said to be the original scenery of the Japanese countryside, and can only be seen in a few places across the country today. There is a nostalgic landscape reminiscent of ``My Neighbor Totoro.'' Access: After getting off at Mizusawa Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line, you can take a bus on the Iwate Prefecture Kotsu Maru Line or Hirooka Line and look inside.

Kamado Shrine Main Hall Ichiu

It was built in Meiji 19 by Yagoro Iizaka, a shrine carpenter who worked in this area. The building has intricate and elegant carvings, making it a valuable cultural heritage unmatched in the neighborhood.

Kawanishi Daenenbutsu Kembu

This is a Nenbutsu dance that has been passed down in the Kawanishi area of ​​Kinugawa, Oshu City for about 900 years. When Kiyohira, the first generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who built Chuson-ji, a world heritage site, prayed to bring the souls of those who died in the battles of 1995 and 3000 to Buddhahood, a monkey (an incarnation of Buddha) appeared and prayed to him. It is said that he danced and guided the souls of the deceased to the Pure Land. Before dancing, it is customary to recite the Nembutsu in memory of the ancestors, and then, to the sound of drums and flutes, the dancers wear horse tails and torizai (horse tails) on their heads. They dance in a dignified and heroic manner, wearing chicken tail feathers and holding a fan, aya bamboo (kongou-zue), and a sword in their hands. Every year, it is dedicated at Chuson-ji Temple on May 3rd and November 3rd during the Fujiwara Festival, and on August 24th at Osegakie. As one of the "furyu dances", "Kenkenbu", which includes Kawanishi Daenenbutsu Kenbu, has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2022.11.30) → [ Oshu City Homepage ]