Aomori · Core city
Hachinohe
八戸市はちのへしHachinohe-shiFishing port, industrial city and heart of the Nanbu area
Hachinohe is the largest city on the Pacific side of Aomori Prefecture and the centre of the former Nanbu domain lands. A major fishing and industrial port, it is known for the Sansha Taisai float festival, the Enburi rice-planting dances, senbei-jiru soup and the grassy Tanesashi coast.
Overview
Hachinohe lies on the Pacific coast in the south-east of Aomori Prefecture, at the mouth of the Mabechi and Niida rivers. It is the second-largest city in the prefecture and the natural centre of the Nanbu area, which differs from Tsugaru in the west in dialect, food and festivals. The city grew from the stronghold of Nejō, founded by a branch of the Nanbu clan in the fourteenth century, and later from the castle town of the Hachinohe domain.
In the twentieth century Hachinohe developed into one of Japan's leading fishing ports, especially for squid and mackerel, and into an industrial port with paper, cement, metal-refining and chemical plants. The port and coast were badly hit by the tsunami of March 2011 but were rebuilt.
For visitors the city offers a lively morning-market culture, the tangle of small bars in its yokochō alleys, the gull colony on Kabushima and the Tanesashi coast, where lawns run down to the sea. The Korekawa Jōmon Museum holds the 'Gasshō Dogū', a praying clay figurine designated a National Treasure. Hachinohe Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen makes the city the southern gateway to Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge.
Landmarks
Kabushima
蕪島KabushimaFormer island joined to the shore, a Natural Monument for its breeding colony of black-tailed gulls, crowned by Kabushima Shrine.
- 種差海岸Tanesashi-kaigan
Place of Scenic Beauty where natural lawns reach the rocky shore, with a coastal trail and seasonal wildflowers; part of Sanriku Fukkō National Park.
- 是川縄文館Korekawa Jōmonkan
Museum at the Korekawa site, a World Heritage component, showing red-lacquered Jōmon objects and the National Treasure Gasshō Dogū figurine.
Nejō Castle Site
根城NejōNational Historic Site of the medieval Nanbu stronghold, with the lord's hall and outbuildings reconstructed on excavated foundations.
Kushihiki Hachimangū
櫛引八幡宮Kushihiki HachimangūTutelary shrine of the Nanbu clan, whose treasure hall holds two suits of armour designated National Treasures.
Tatehana Wharf Morning Market
館鼻岸壁朝市Tatehana Ganpeki AsaichiVery large open-air market held on Sunday mornings for most of the year along the fishing wharf, with hundreds of stalls.
Mutsu-Minato Morning Market
陸奥湊駅前朝市Mutsu-Minato Ekimae AsaichiTraditional fish market by Mutsu-Minato Station, known for fishwives selling the morning's catch.
Districts
Chūshin-gai (city centre)
中心街Chūshin-gaiOld castle-town centre around Hon-Hachinohe Station, with shopping arcades and the Sansha Taisai parade route.
Yokochō alleys
八戸の横丁Hachinohe no yokochōNetwork of narrow lanes such as Miroku Yokochō, packed with small bars and eateries serving local seafood.
Minato and Same
湊・鮫Minato, SameHarbour districts along the coast, with the fish markets, Kabushima and the start of the Tanesashi coast.
Hachinohe Station area
八戸駅周辺Hachinohe-eki shūhenShinkansen station west of the centre, departure point for buses to Towada and Oirase.
History
Jōmon settlements flourished along the rivers, as the Korekawa site shows. In 1334 Nanbu Moroyuki built Nejō, which remained the seat of the Hachinohe Nanbu for three centuries. In 1664 the Hachinohe domain was split off from the Morioka domain and ruled from a new castle in the present centre. The domain became Hachinohe Prefecture in 1871 and was merged into Aomori Prefecture the same year. Hachinohe received city status in 1929, was designated a New Industrial City in 1964 and was reached by the Tohoku Shinkansen in 2002. The coast suffered severe tsunami damage in 2011; two years later the Tanesashi coast was incorporated into Sanriku Fukkō National Park, created to support recovery. Hachinohe became a core city in 2017.
c. 1000–400 BCE
Late and Final Jōmon communities occupy the Korekawa area on the Niida River.
1334
Nanbu Moroyuki builds the fortress of Nejō.
1664
The Hachinohe domain is created as a branch of the Morioka domain.
1871
The domain becomes Hachinohe Prefecture and is merged into Aomori Prefecture.
1929
Hachinohe receives city status.
1964
The city is designated a New Industrial City, accelerating port and factory development.
2002
The Tohoku Shinkansen reaches Hachinohe Station.
2011
The Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami damages the port and coastal districts.
2013
The Tanesashi coast becomes part of Sanriku Fukkō National Park.
2017
Hachinohe becomes a core city.
Culture
Hachinohe carries the Nanbu tradition: horse breeding, hishizashi embroidery, Yawata-uma toy horses and a dialect quite different from Tsugaru's. Its festival year opens in February with the Enburi, when groups of dancers in horse-head hats perform rice-planting gestures through the snowy streets, and peaks in summer with the Sansha Taisai's giant floats. The city has cultivated a distinctive urban culture around its markets and yokochō alleys, and has invested in cultural venues such as the Hachinohe Portal Museum 'Hacchi' and the Hachinohe Art Museum.
Festivals
Hachinohe Sansha Taisai
八戸三社大祭Hachinohe Sansha TaisaiFrom 31 July to 4 August, processions of three shrines with some two dozen towering floats that open out with moving parts; an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and part of a UNESCO inscription of float festivals.
Hachinohe Enburi
八戸えんぶりHachinohe EnburiFrom 17 to 20 February, performers in tall horse-head hats dance to call forth a good harvest; an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Kabushima gull season
蕪島のウミネコKabushima no uminekoFrom early spring to late summer tens of thousands of black-tailed gulls nest on Kabushima; the colony is a local seasonal marker rather than an organised festival.
Food
Senbei-jiru
せんべい汁senbei-jiruSoup with pieces of Nanbu wheat cracker simmered until soft; Hachinohe's signature dish.
Ichigo-ni
いちご煮ichigo-niFestive clear broth of sea urchin and abalone, originally a fisherman's dish of the Hachinohe coast.
Mackerel
八戸前沖さばHachinohe maeoki sabaFatty autumn mackerel caught off Hachinohe, eaten grilled, pickled in vinegar or as sashimi.
Squid
イカikaHachinohe has long been one of Japan's main squid ports; squid appears raw, grilled and dried in local cooking.
Getting around
- Hachinohe Station is served by the Tohoku Shinkansen, about two hours forty-five minutes from Tokyo at best, and by the Aoimori Railway towards Aomori.
- The JR Hachinohe Line runs from Hachinohe Station through Hon-Hachinohe (city centre), Mutsu-Minato and Same to the Tanesashi coast and on to Kuji in Iwate.
- City buses connect the station with the centre; tourist buses serve Kabushima and the Tanesashi coast.
- JR buses run from Hachinohe Station to the Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada.
- Misawa Airport lies to the north, and car ferries sail from Hachinohe to Tomakomai on Hokkaido.
Day trips
- 奥入瀬渓流Oirase-keiryū
Riverside walk through beech forest, reached by direct bus from Hachinohe Station.
- 十和田湖Towada-ko
Caldera lake at the head of the Oirase valley.
Towada Art Center
十和田市現代美術館Towada-shi Gendai BijutsukanContemporary art museum by Nishizawa Ryūe in the city of Towada, with works installed along its main avenue.
- 三陸海岸Sanriku kaigan
The Hachinohe Line continues south to Kuji, the northern end of the rugged Sanriku coast.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
What is Hachinohe known for?
Its fishing port and seafood, the Sansha Taisai float festival, the Enburi dances in February, senbei-jiru soup, the gull island of Kabushima and the Tanesashi coast.
Is the Tatehana morning market worth visiting?
It is one of the largest open-air morning markets in Japan, held on Sunday mornings for most of the year along the fishing wharf; it starts at dawn and is best visited early.
How do I get from Hachinohe to Lake Towada?
JR buses run from Hachinohe Station via the Oirase Gorge to Lake Towada; the scenic section along the gorge can also be walked.
What is the Gasshō Dogū?
A Late Jōmon clay figurine of a seated figure with hands pressed together, found at the Kazahari I site in Hachinohe and designated a National Treasure. It is displayed at the Korekawa Jōmon Museum.
Was Hachinohe affected by the 2011 tsunami?
Yes, the port and coastal districts were damaged by the tsunami of 11 March 2011, but facilities were repaired and the coast was later incorporated into Sanriku Fukkō National Park.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.八戸市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 八戸市
- 3.三陸復興国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 4.Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre