Sightseeing Spots

Kenji’s Square

In Kenji's Square, there are exhibits such as ``Ihatov's Big Picture Book,'' ``Hanamaki Taisho Modernism,'' and ``Everyone is Kenji-san,'' so anyone can easily feel Kenji and Hanamaki from his time.

Gindoro Park

Gindoro is a silvery white tree with white undersides of the leaves. This park is the former site of Hanamaki Agricultural School, where Kenji was a teacher, and many gindoro trees, which Kenji loved, are planted there. Inside the park, there is a poem monument inscribed with a line from Kenji's ``Early Spring,'' as well as a group of stone statues of ``Kaze no Matasaburo'' (Sapporo poet Arata Hongo's first outdoor sculpture award winning work). Many Kenji fans visit here.

Nambu Magariya Chiba House (under conservation and repair work)

*Preservation and repair work began in June 2016. For a while, the Chiba Family Residence (Nanbu Magariya Chiba Family), an important cultural property, will be closed to the public due to conservation and repair work. For more information ⇒ [ Tono City homepage ] This magariya, built about 200 years ago, has a living area of ​​122 tsubo and a livestock barn area of ​​about 41 tsubo.It was once home to 15 farmers and about 20 horses, and you can see it from below. It is said that all the fields were owned by the Chiba clan, the owner of this mansion. Utilizing the natural topography and constructing stone walls, it has an elegant appearance that resembles a castle. It is counted as one of Japan's top 10 private houses, along with Hida's gassho-style architecture.

Kinkeishan [World Heritage Site]

Kinkeisan is an elegant conical mountain. There are also legends that say, ``Hidehira lined up his laborers to the Kitakami River, carried stones, and built the mountain in one night,'' and ``Hidehira buried a pair of golden chickens, a male and a female.'' Several sutra mounds were built on the summit of Mt. Kinkeisan. However, it was stolen in 1930 and is currently in a partially destroyed state. The artifacts excavated from that time are kept by the Tokyo National Museum and Motsuji Temple.

Nanbu Shrine

A shrine near the entrance to Nabekura Park. The approach to the shrine is lined with cherry blossom trees, and a cherry blossom festival that recreates the procession of the Nambu clan that entered Tonogo is held at the beginning of May along with the regular festival.

Morioka Tegamikan

This is a unique facility in Japan that stores, researches, and exhibits manuscripts, diaries, etc., mainly letters of our ancestors. A large number of valuable materials such as letters, manuscripts, diaries, notebooks, calligraphy and ink of famous people connected to Morioka such as Takuboku Ishikawa, Mitsumasa Yonai, Inazo Nitobe, and Shinpei Goto are on display. We also hold special exhibitions and theme exhibitions.

Come to the plaza

This information dissemination base was named after the Morioka dialect for ``Please come.'' In addition to the `` Tourism and Culture Information Plaza '' on the second floor, there is also a shop selling specialty products and a light snack cafe. In addition, the `` Morioka Tegami Museum '' on the 6th floor stores and exhibits letters and diaries of great people connected to Morioka.

Morioka City Ancestor Memorial Hall

A memorial museum that introduces the predecessors connected to Morioka who were active after the Meiji period. It was built in 1988 as a commemorative facility to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation. On the first floor there are memorial rooms for Nitobe Inazo, Yonai Mitsumasa, and Kindaichi Kyosuke, and on the second floor there is a comprehensive exhibition of 127 of their predecessors.

Hiraniwa Kogen

Located at an altitude of 800m, halfway up Mt. Hiraniwa, the vast Hiraniwa Kogen is a scenic area designated as a prefectural natural park. It is a field where you can enjoy nature all year round, starting with wetland plants such as the herald of spring, the Japanese katakuri, to the dazzling green white birch forest in early summer, the astragalus azaleas in full bloom all over the plateau, the autumn leaves, and skiing in winter as the season progresses. [Astragalus azalea] Early to mid-June [Best time to see autumn leaves] Mid-October to early November

Morioka Shinkin Bank Main Branch (former savings bank)

The former Morioka Savings Bank was built in 1927 and was designed by Manji Kasai, a native of Morioka. The six thick columns extending from the first floor to the second floor, the stone carving patterns on the granite, and the stained glass inside give the building a sense of grandeur, and are in line with the modern expressions of the early Showa period and modern design. Designated as a Morioka City Preserved Building.

Daumehekazan Endong Shoboji Temple

Commonly known as ``Oku-no-Shobo-ji,'' it was opened in 1348 by Zen Master Muzo Ryosha. It was once the third head temple of the Soto sect, along with Eiheiji (Fukui Prefecture) and Sojiji (Yokohama City). Even now, monks gather from all over the country to undergo rigorous training. The precincts are solemn, yet filled with an atmosphere that makes you feel as if time is passing slowly. The serpentine stone steps and the thatched roof of the 720 tsubo (approximately 720 tsubo) law hall, one of the largest in Japan, are spectacular. The main hall, shrine, and somon are designated important cultural properties by the country. We also offer various Zen meditation sessions and vegetarian cuisine (reservations required), allowing you to have a valuable Zen temple experience.

Takashi Hara Memorial Hall

This memorial hall is located on the grounds of the mansion where Takashi Hara, who organized Japan's first political party cabinet and was known as the commoner prime minister, was born. The collection includes the original diary of Takashi Hara, as well as personal belongings, letters, related documents, and the clothes worn when he was stabbed to death.