Location
Opened as the Iwate Bank Red Brick Building on July 17, 2016.
Designed by the Tatsuno Kingo and Kasai Manji Architectural Office, the former Morioka Bank features red brick construction and a green dome, expressing the strict contours of Renaissance-style architecture.
Located in the center of the city alongside the Nakatsugawa River and Nakanohashi Bridge, it forms one of Morioka’s representative landscapes.
It is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1911.
Address
1-2-20 Nakanohashi-dori, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0871
Established in 1680 by the 29th lord of the Nanbu clan, Nanbu Shigenobu.
The shrine enshrines Hondawake no Mikoto (Emperor Ojin), worshipped as the guardian deity of agriculture, industry, commerce, learning, clothing, food, and housing.
The shrine buildings were repeatedly rebuilt after disasters such as the Great Morioka Fire of 1884 and damage from weathering over many years.
The current shrine building was rebuilt in December 1997.
Its vividly colored vermilion shrine with elaborate carvings stands proudly as a new symbol of Morioka.
Address
13-1 Hachimancho, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0872
The former site of Morioka Castle, residence of the Nanbu clan lords.
Completed in 1633 during the era of the third lord, Nanbu Shigenao, the castle was built on hilly land at the confluence of the former Kitakami River and Nakatsugawa River.
Today, stone walls and ponds remain, and the site has become Morioka Castle Ruins Park, beloved by citizens throughout the four seasons.
Address
1-37 Uchimaru, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0023
LED lights installed on the bridge girders and arches illuminate the nights of Morioka beautifully.
Address
Kaiun Bridge, Morioka Ekimae-dori, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0034
From the summit of Mt. Iwayama at an elevation of 340.5 meters east of the city center, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Morioka City, Mt. Iwate, surrounding mountain ranges, and the Kitakami River.
It has been selected as one of Japan’s Night View Heritage Sites and Top 100 Night Views.
Address
52 Iwayama, Shinjo, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0803
In front of the Morioka District Court stands an Edo-higan cherry tree growing from a massive granite rock with a circumference of 21 meters.
With a trunk circumference of 4.3 meters, a height of 10 meters, and an estimated age of over 360 years, the tree blooms beautifully every mid-April.
It is beautiful during the daytime spring sunshine, but the illuminated night cherry blossoms are also enchanting.
It was designated a National Natural Monument in 1923.
Best viewing season: Mid-April
Address
9-1 Uchimaru, Morioka City, Iwate 020-8520 (Morioka District Court)
