is the capital
City of
Iwate prefecture,
Japan .
As of
2003 , the city has an estimated
Population of 287,672 and the
Density of 588.11 persons per
Km&2 . The total area is 489.15 km&
2.
The city was founded on
April 1 ,
1889 .
Morioka is in the territory inhabited by the
Emishi people in ancient times. The general
Sakanoue No Tamuramaro , who was ordered to conquer the
Emishi , built
Shiwa Castle here in
803 , and the region gradually was brought under imperial control.
At the end of the
Heian Period , Morioka was under the control of the
Ōshū Fujiwara Clan based in
Hiraizumi , to the south of Morioka. The clan was destroyed by
Shogun Minamoto No Yoritomo , and the
Kudo Clan replaced it. During the
Muromachi Period , the
Nambu Clan , based in Sannohe to the north, expanded its territory and built
Kozukata Castle here. Kozukata changed its name to Morioka in the
17th Century .
In the
Boshin War , Morioka made a pro-
Shogunate alliance with
Aizu , and fought against the imperial force.
Morioka is located in
Kitakami Basin . The
Kitakami River , the longest river in
Tohoku , runs through the city. Beautiful
Mount Iwate is to the northwest of the city.
Morioka Station was the original northern terminal of
Tohoku Shinkansen . The line was extended to
Hachinohe in
2002 , but the station has kept its significant role in the traffic of northern
Tohoku .
Akita Shinkansen also branches off at the station.
The
Iwate Museum Of Art in Morioka displays works by three notable local artists,
Tetsugoro Yorozu ,
Shunsuke Matsumoto and
Yasutake Funakoshi , as well as holding exhibitions on national and international themes.
Hoonji is a temple which was originally built at Sannohe by the 13th lord of the Nambu Clan, Moriyuki, in 1394, and brought to Morioka by the 27th lord, Toshinao. It was considered the head temple among the 280 operated by the Nambu Clan. its notable feature is the Rakando (Statues Hall), built in 1735 and rebuilt in 1858. It's central statue Rushana-butsu is reported to be made by Kodo-daishi. Within the Rakando 500 Rakans, ('holy people who deserve other's offerings') which were made in Kyoto and later brought to Morioka, rest on a series of 5 rows of shelves that stretch around the room. Today it is known as a Zen training temple for monks.
Mitsuishi Temple (literally, 'three rocks'), has three large rocks on the grounds with shackles around them to represent the story of 'Oni no tegata', which is a legend explaining the origin of the name of Iwate prefecture. According to the legend, there was once a devil who often tormented and harassed the local people. When the people prayed to the spirits of Mitsuishi for protection, the devil was immediately shackled to the rocks and made to promise never to trouble the people again. As a sign of this promise, the devil left a handprint on one of the rocks, thus giving rise to the name Iwate, literally meaning ‘rock hand’. Even now after a rainfall it is said that the devil’s hand print can still be seen.
Morioka attracts tourists with local
Noodle s such as
Jajamen ,
Reimen , and wanko
Soba .
Brewing is also a thriving industry of the city. Nambu Senbei, a type of rice cracker, is considered a local delicacy.
- Ishikawa Takuboku , poet
- Kenji Miyazawa , poet and author of children's literature
- Takashi Hara , former Prime Minister Of Japan
- Inazo Nitobe , author, educator, diplomat, and politician during the Meiji Period and Taishō Period
- Mitsumasa Yonai , former Prime Minister Of Japan
- The Great Sasuke , professional wrestler
- Taka Michinoku , professional wrestler
