is the capital

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Iwate Prefecture located in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku reta ...

of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of . The total area of the city is .

Geography

Morioka is located in the in central Iwate Prefecture, at the confluence of three rivers, the Kitakami, the

Shizukuishi is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 16,263 in 6354 households, and a population density of 27 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Shizukuishi is located in the Ōu M ...

and the Nakatsu. The Kitakami River is the second largest river on the Pacific side of Japan (after the

Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the Kantō ...

) and the longest in the

. It runs through the city from north to south and has a number of dams within the city boundaries, including the

Shijūshida Dam The is a dam on the Kitakami River, located in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture on the island of Honshū, Japan. History Shijūshida Dam is the fourth in a series of five multipurpose dams built directly on the main stream of the Kitakami River, start ...

and

Gandō Dam is a dam on the Tandogawa River, a branch of the Kitakami River in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, completed in 1960. History The need for storage reservoirs in the Kitakami River valley for irrigation purposes was recognized by the Meiji gov ...

. An active volcano,

Mount Iwate is a stratovolcano complex in the Ōu Mountains of western Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. With an elevation of , it is the highest in Iwate Prefecture. It is included as one of the 100 famous mountai ...

, dominates the view to the northwest of the city.

Mount Himekami Mount Himekami ( ja, 姫神山, ''Himekami-san'') is a mountain in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It lends its name to the band Himekami. Mt. Himekami is about north of urban Morioka and features alpine flora and views of Mount Iwate. A relat ...

is to the north and

Mount Hayachine is the highest mountain in the Kitakami Range, located in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. With an elevation of , it is the second highest in Iwate Prefecture after Mount Iwate. Mount Hayachine is mentioned in ''100 Famous Japane ...

can sometimes be seen to the southeast.

Surrounding municipalities

Iwate Prefecture * Hanamaki * Hachimantai * Takizawa * Miyako *

* Kuzumaki * Shiwa *

Yahaba is a town in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 27,227, and a population density of 400 persons per km² in 10,131 households. The total area of the town is . Geography Yahaba is located in central Iwate Prefectur ...

* Iwaizumi

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Morioka peaked at around the year 2000 and has slightly declined since.

Climate

Morioka has a cold,

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfa'') characterized by warm, short summers and long, cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Morioka is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are at their highest on average in August, at around , and lowest on average in January, at around .

History

171103 Morioka Castle Morioka Iwate pref Japan20s3

The area of present-day Morioka has been continuously inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period. Numerous Jōmon,

Yayoi The started at the beginning of the Neolithic in Japan, continued through the Bronze Age, and towards its end crossed into the Iron Age. Since the 1980s, scholars have argued that a period previously classified as a transition from the Jōmon p ...

and Kofun period tombs and remains have been found. The Emishi inhabited the area into the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

. During the

Enryaku was a after ''Ten'ō'' and before '' Daidō''. This period spanned the years from August 782 through May 806. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 12 November 782 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The pr ...

era of the Heian period,

Sakanoue no Tamuramaro was a court noble, general and ''shōgun'' of the early Heian period of Japan. He served as Dainagon, Minister of War and ''Ukon'e no Taisho'' (Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards). He held the '' kabane'' of Ōsukune ...

, was ordered north to Shiwa Castle in 803 AD, as a military center to extend the domination of the

Yamato dynasty The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

over Mutsu Province. The area was later ruled by the

Abe clan The was one of the oldest of the major Japanese clans (''uji''); and the clan retained its prominence during the Sengoku period and the Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit." Universität Tübingen (in German). The ...

until their destruction during the Former Nine Years War at the hands of the

Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...

and

Kiyohara clan The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

s. The Kiyohara were in turn defeated in the

Gosannen War The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, ''gosannen kassen''), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū. History The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power ...

and the area came under the control of the

Ōshū Fujiwara Clan The Northern Fujiwara (奥州藤原氏 ''Ōshū Fujiwara-shi'') were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region (the northeast of Honshū) of Japan during the 12th century as their own realm.

based in

Hiraizumi is a town located in Nishiiwai District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,408 and a population density of in 2,616 households. The total area of the town was . It is noted for the Historic Monuments and Sit ...

, to the south of Morioka. After the Ōshū Fujiwara were destroyed by

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

at the start of the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

, the area was disputed by several samurai clans until the

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji of Kai P ...

, based in

Sannohe is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 9,814 in 4260 households, and a population density of 65 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Sannohe occupies an inland area in sout ...

to the north, expanded their territory during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

and built Kozukata Castle in 1592. Following the Battle of Sekigahara and the formal recognition of

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, ...

under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, Kozukata Castle was renamed Morioka Castle. Its name was changed from to (both read as "Morioka") During the Boshin War of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, Morioka Domain was a key member of the pro-Tokugawa ''

Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei The was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star on a black field, or a black i ...

.'' After the start of the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, former Morioka Domain became Morioka Prefecture in 1870, and part of Iwate Prefecture from 1872. With the establishment of the modern municipality system on April 1, 1889, the city of Morioka was established as the capital of Iwate Prefecture. The city was connected by train to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

in 1890. The city emerged from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with very little damage, having been subject to only two minor air raids during the war. On January 10, 2006, the village of Tamayama was merged into Morioka. Morioka was proclaimed a

core city In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city ...

in 2008, with increased local autonomy. During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, Morioka was hit by a 6.1 earthquake, and numerous aftershocks, but with little damage other than extensive power outages.

Government

Morioka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

city legislature of 38 members. Morioka contributes ten seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Iwate 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Education

Colleges and university

Iwate University Iwate University ( ja, 岩手大学, ''Iwate Daigaku'', abbreviated as ''Gandai'' or ''岩大'') is a national university located in Morioka, Japan. Founded in 1876 as the , the school was formally established as Iwate University in 1949. With it ...

Iwate Medical University is a private university in Morioka, Iwate, Japan. History The institution has its origins in a private medical school founded in 1901. The school was closed in 1912 and later re-established in 1928 as Iwate Medical College. In 1947 the col ...

High schools

Morioka has eight public high schools operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education. *

Morioka First High School , often abbreviated as , is a public, coeducational, university preparatory high school in Morioka city, Iwate, Japan. Founded in 1880, Morioka Ichikō is the second oldest high school in Iwate prefecture and one of the oldest in Japan. As of Ma ...

* Morioka Second High School *

Morioka Third High School The , commonly referred to as Morioka Third High School or San-Kō, is located in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It is the third oldest public high school in the city, founded in 1963. It has a student body of approximately 1,000 students. Th ...

* Morioka Fourth High School * Morioka South High School * Morioka Agricultural High School * Morioka Industrial High School * Morioka Commercial High School There is also one public high school operated by the city government and ten private high schools

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main ...

Morioka Station Morioka Station ( ja, 盛岡駅, ) is a railway station in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR East. Lines Morioka Station is a major junction station, and is served by both the Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Akita Shinkansen. I ...

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fuku ...

* - - Morioka JR logo (east)

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -

Tazawako Line The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) connecting Morioka Station in Morioka, Iwate and Ōmagari Station in Daisen, Akita, Japan. Akita Shinkansen '' Komachi'' trains travel over the line, which was regauge ...

( Akita Shinkansen) *Morioka JR logo (east)

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Yamada Line *Morioka - - - JR logo (east)

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -

Hanawa Line The is a railway line in Japan linking Kōma Station in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture and Ōdate Station in Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, Japan. The line extends 106.9 km (66.4 mi) with a total of 27 stations. Also known as the , the Hanawa Lin ...

*Morioka - Igrail

Iwate Ginga Railway Line *Morioka – – – –

Highway

* – Morioka-Minami IC, Morioka IC * * * * * * * *

Local attractions

* The

Iwate Museum of Art The is an art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place ...

in Morioka displays works by three notable local artists, Tetsugoro Yorozu,

Shunsuke Matsumoto was a Japanese painter, who primarily painted in the ''Yōga'' ("Western painting") style. Matsumoto was born on April 19, 1912, in Shibuya, Tokyo, as Shunsuke Satō (佐藤俊介).Mark H. Sandler : ''The Living Artist: Matsumoto Shunsuke's Repl ...

and

Yasutake Funakoshi was a Japanese sculptor and painter. Life and work Funakoshi was born in what is now the town of Ichinohe in the Iwate Prefecture in northern Honshū. Later he attended middle school in Morioka where the painter Shunsuke Matsumoto was a ...

, as well as holding exhibitions on national and international themes. * Rock-Breaking Cherry Tree - designated a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

of Japan. * Iwate Prefectural Museum *Site of Morioka Castle, National Historic Site * Shiwa Castle ruins, National Historic Site * Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building, Important Cultural Property

Sports

Sports venues

Iwate Morioka Stadium is a multi-use stadium in the city of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. The stadium was completed in June 1966 to be a venue for track and field events of the 25th National Sports Festival of Japan held in 1970. It was subsequently used for a number of f ...

* Morioka Racecourse * Morioka Takaya Arena

Sports teams

Iwate Grulla Morioka is a Japanese association football club based in Morioka, Iwate. It played in the inaugural season of J3 League in 2014 after winning the Tohoku Soccer League, one of the Japanese Regional Leagues, in 2013. Iwate played in the J3 until 2021, wh ...

, football team *

Iwate Big Bulls The Iwate Big Bulls are a professional basketball team that compete in the third division of the Japanese B.League. Roster Notable players * Wayne Arnold *Lawrence Blackledge *Jamal Boykin * Brian Carlwell * Tatsunori Fujie * ...

, basketball team

Religion

Temples and shrines

* Hōon-ji is a

Sōtō Zen Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngshān ...

Buddhist temple which was originally built at Sannohe by the 13th lord of the Nambu clan, Nambu Moriyuki, in 1394, and brought to Morioka by the 27th lord, Nambu Toshinao. It was considered the head temple among the 280 operated by the Nambu clan. A notable feature is the Rakan-dō, built in 1735 and rebuilt in 1858. Its central statue ''Rushana butsu'' is reported to be made by Kōbō-daishi. Within the Rakan-dō are statues of the 500 '' Rakan'', which were made in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

and later brought to Morioka. Included are representations of Kublai Khan and Marco Polo. It is an active Zen training temple for monks. * Mitsuishi Jinja is a Shinto shrine which 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 an ''Oni'' or demon who often tormented and harassed the local people. When the people prayed to the spirit of Mitsuishi for protection, the demon was immediately shackled to the rocks and made to promise never to trouble the people again. As a sign of this promise, the demon left a handprint on one of the rocks, thus giving rise to the name Iwate, literally meaning "rock hand". * Morioka Hachiman Shrine * Sakurayama is a Shinto shrine 20 feet above (6 meters) featuring a massive rock.

Cuisine

Morioka attracts tourists with local noodles such as ''jajamen'', '' reimen,'' and '' wanko soba.'' Brewing is also a thriving industry of the city. ''Nambu

Senbei are a type of Japanese rice cracker. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with green tea as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy refreshment. ...

,'' a type of rice cracker, is considered a local specialty. File:じゃじゃ麺.jpg, Morioka Jajamen File:Morioka_Reimen2.jpg, Morioka Reimen File:Wanko_soba.jpg, Wanko soba

Media

* Iwate Asahi Television * Iwate Broadcasting Company * Iwate Menkoi Television *

Iwate Nippo is a Japanese regional daily newspaper published mainly in Iwate prefecture. The company is based in Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estima ...

Television Iwate , also known as TVI, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the Nippon News Network and Nippon Television Network System. Their headquarters are located in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. The Headquarters *2-10 Uchimaru Morioka, Iwate 020-8 ...

International relations

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, Canada (sister city since 1985)

Notable persons

Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Representatives. Hara ...

, former

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

Takuboku Ishikawa was a Japanese poet. Well known as both a tanka and or poet, he began as a member of the Myōjō group of naturalist poets but later joined the "socialistic" group of Japanese poets and renounced naturalism. He died of tuberculosis. Major wo ...

, poet * Takuya Kawamura, professional basketball player *

Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners in MLB and for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Amateur career As ...

, professional baseball player *

Yōko Mihara was an actress of Japanese exploitation cinema, erotic dancer and pin-up model who was active from the 1950s to 1970s. Life and career Mihara signed up with Shintoho in 1951 but appeared mostly in minor roles, pursuing the career of a pin-up mo ...

, actress * Milano Collection A.T., professional wrestler *

Taka Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for t ...

, professional wrestler *

The Great Sasuke , born July 18, 1969), is a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and politician, currently wrestling for Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW) under the ring name . Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly ...

, professional wrestler * Inazō Nitobe, author, educator, diplomat, and politician during the

and Taishō period *

Mitsuo Ogasawara is a Japanese former. professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Japan national team. Club career Ogasawara was born in Morioka on April 5, 1979. After graduating from high school, he joined J1 League club Kashima Ant ...

, footballer * Takatō Ōshima, engineer - made the first Western-style cannon in Japan *

Mikoi Sasaki is a Japanese voice actress known for her role as Hercule Barton in ''Tantei Opera Milky Holmes'', and her other major roles include Himeno Katsuragi in '' Da Capo III'', Kuguru Uki in ''Future Card Buddyfight'', and Neko in ''Recently, My Siste ...

, actress *

Mitsumasa Yonai was a Japanese general and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940. Early life and career Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, the firs ...

, former

* Nishikigi Tetsuya, sumo wrestler

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Iwate Prefecture