Sightseeing Spots

Kanjizaio-in Temple Ruins [World Heritage Site]

It is said that the Kanjizaioin Temple ruins adjacent to the east of Motsuji Temple were run by the second wife of Motohira. The temple area is 120m from east to west and 240m from north to south. The square garden pond (Maizuru-ga-ike) with rounded corners is dotted with rock formations made of piled up megaliths similar to rough seashores, a small Suhama beach, and a long central island running east to west. On the north bank is a plaza, towards which are the remains of the Great Amida-do Hall to the west and the remains of the Small Amida-do Hall to the east. On the east bank, there are also the ruins of the bell tower and the ruins said to be Fugendo.

lower bridge

At the time of the formation of the castle town, it was an important bridge connecting the city center and the Kanan area. The imitation jewels were repaired and added to the ones that were used in the Kami-no-bashi and Yo-no-ji bridges in the past.

Kakitsubata community on the mountain shore

Kakitsubata is also the flower of Morioka City. This colony is located in Taihei, a mountain bank about 4 km northeast of the city, along National Route 455, which connects the city and Iwaizumi. During the flowering season, refreshing blue-purple flowers bloom all over the 931-square-meter grounds, and they stand out against the yellow-green leaves, making for a spectacular sight. There is also an arbor and parking space on the premises, making it a relaxing spot for citizens. It is a prefecture-designated natural monument, and conservation efforts are being actively carried out. Flowering/early June to mid-June

Goza nine

Gozaku, which still retains the image of a wealthy merchant, was a merchant house that sold lanterns for lanterns and straw crafts from the late Edo period to the Meiji period. The buildings, which have castle walls, tiles, and low eaves with lattice doors, have been built one after another, and you can get a glimpse of each era.

Iwate Prefectural Museum

This museum is located on a hill on the shores of Shijushida Dam, overlooking Mt. Iwate and Mt. Himekami. The museum exhibits a large-scale reconstructed full-body skeleton of the large dinosaur fossil Mamenkysaurus, as well as numerous materials on fossils, rocks, archaeology, history, folklore, flora and fauna, and more. There are botanical gardens and rock gardens outdoors, and among them, the ``Former Sasaki Family Residence (Magariya)'' and ``Former Fujino Family Residence (Naoya),'' which were relocated from Iwaizumi Town and Esashi Ward, Oshu City in 1980, are It has also been designated as a national important cultural property.

Chusonji zazen, sutra copying, and sermon experience

At an ancient temple founded 1150 years ago, you can step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and quietly look inside yourself through experiences such as zazen, copying sutras, and holding sermons. Calm the waves of emotion, unify your mind, look at yourself and improve yourself.

Hashino Iron Mine [World Heritage Site]

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.

Iwate Town Sculpture Park

The Iwate Town International Stone Sculpture Symposium, which began in 1971, has been enriched with each successive event, and the works produced there are placed mainly in the Iwate Town Sculpture Park, bringing joy to the hearts of visitors. Every year, several artists, including some from overseas, create works for the public from mid-July to mid-August, mainly using black granite from the town. Please feel the deep color of black granite and the energy of this piece, which shows various expressions depending on the time.

Takamura Sanso

This is the house where Kotaro spent seven years in Hanamaki.The exterior has been covered to preserve the facility, but the interior remains as it was when Kotaro lived there.

Morioka Tenmangu Shrine

The guardian dog of Morioka Tenmangu Shrine, which used to be part of Takuboku's walking course, is now enshrined on top of Takuboku's monument. It is said that this guardian dog appears in the novel ``Funeral Procession,'' and it has a face that says, ``Since I was born, I still don't know whether the world is in the west or the east.'' Takuboku said.

Nakatsugawa

It flows east-west through the center of the city. The upper and lower bridges have imitation jewels attached to them, giving the bridge a calming appearance. From autumn to early winter, salmon can be seen migrating upstream.

Kenji Miyazawa poem monument (inside Morioka High School)

``To all the students, don't you feel the clear, clean wind blowing from this dashing realm of your future?'' The Morioka Daiichi High School where this monument stands is Morioka Junior High School, where Kenji once studied. Taking a break from the stuffy old family where he was born and raised, living in a dormitory, and hanging out with friends of his own generation brought Kenji a great sense of freedom. While attending school, I walked in the nearby mountains and became familiar with many books. Takuboku Ishikawa is ten years my senior at Morioka Junior High School.