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Tohoku · Prefecture · JP-03

Iwate

岩手県いわてけんIwate-ken

Honshu's largest prefecture, from Hiraizumi's Pure Land to the Sanriku coast

Iwate is the largest prefecture on Honshu and the second largest in Japan, a thinly settled land of highlands and the Kitakami valley between the Ou Mountains and the Sanriku coast. It is known for the World Heritage temples of Hiraizumi, Nanbu cast-iron ware and the writer Miyazawa Kenji.

Overview

Iwate occupies the north-eastern flank of Honshu, stretching from the volcanic spine of the Ou Mountains in the west to the Pacific in the east. Between them run the broad valley of the Kitakami River – the prefecture's historical corridor and home to most of its towns – and the old, rounded Kitakami Mountains, which fall to the sea along the Sanriku coast. With one of the lowest population densities on Honshu, Iwate is dominated by forest, upland pasture and rice fields.

The prefecture holds a distinct place in Japanese history. In the late eleventh and twelfth centuries the Oshu Fujiwara clan ruled the north from Hiraizumi, building a Buddhist capital whose surviving temples and gardens were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2011. In the early modern period the land was divided between the Nanbu clan of Morioka in the north and the Date of Sendai in the south, a split still felt in dialect and custom.

Modern Iwate is associated with the poet and children's author Miyazawa Kenji, the folklore of Tono, iron from Kamaishi and heavy cast-iron kettles from Morioka. The Sanriku coast was devastated by the tsunami of 11 March 2011; its reconstruction and the national park created along the shore now shape much of the eastern half of the prefecture.

Name and origins

The name Iwate, literally 'rock hand', comes from Iwate District, in which Morioka lies. A legend at Mitsuishi Shrine in Morioka tells of a demon that terrorised the area until the local deity bound it to three great boulders; before being released, the demon swore never to return and left its handprint on the rock as a pledge. The story is also given as the origin of the Sansa Odori dance.

In the ancient provincial system the area belonged to Mutsu, the vast northern province. When Mutsu was divided in 1869, most of present-day Iwate became Rikuchu, while the southern coastal district of Kesen went to Rikuzen. After the abolition of the domains in 1871 the area passed through several short-lived prefectures; the prefecture created at Morioka was renamed Iwate in 1872 and reached its present borders in 1876. The Kazuno district, historically tied to the Nanbu domain, went to Akita.

Cities

CapitalMoriokaMorioka-shiThe Nanbu castle town where three rivers meet below Mount IwateTownHiraizumiHiraizumi-chōThe golden Pure Land capital of the Oshu Fujiwara

Geography

Three north–south bands define Iwate. In the west, the Ou Mountains carry the volcanoes of Hachimantai, Mount Iwate and Kurikoma along the border with Akita and Miyagi. The Kitakami River flows south through a long lowland from the north of the prefecture past Morioka, Hanamaki, Kitakami, Oshu and Ichinoseki towards Miyagi, and this corridor carries the main railway, the Shinkansen and the expressway. East of the river rise the Kitakami Mountains, an ancient, eroded upland with Mount Hayachine as its highest peak.

The Sanriku coast changes character from north to south: in the north, marine terraces end in sheer cliffs up to around 200 metres high, as at Kitayamazaki; further south, drowned river valleys form a classic ria coast with deep, narrow bays at Miyako, Yamada, Otsuchi, Kamaishi, Ofunato and Rikuzentakata. These bays make excellent harbours and aquaculture grounds but also funnel tsunami waves, which is why the coast has suffered repeatedly.

Climate

Iwate has a cool climate with marked differences between inland basins and the coast. Morioka has cold winters, among the coldest of any prefectural capital outside Hokkaido, with regular frosts and moderate snow; the western mountains receive heavy snowfall. The Pacific coast has milder winters with little snow and more sunshine. In early summer the cold, damp north-easterly wind known as yamase can bring fog and low temperatures to the coast and has historically caused crop failures.

Landscape

  • Mount Iwate

    岩手山Iwate-san

    A 2,038-metre stratovolcano north-west of Morioka and the highest peak in the prefecture, known locally as 'Nanbu Fuji'.

  • Kitakami River

    北上川Kitakami-gawa

    The largest river in Tohoku, flowing south through the length of the prefecture into Miyagi; its valley holds most of Iwate's towns and farmland.

  • Kitakami Mountains

    北上山地Kitakami-sanchi

    An old, eroded upland between the Kitakami valley and the Pacific, crowned by Mount Hayachine (1,917 m), noted for its alpine flora.

  • Sanriku coast

    三陸海岸Sanriku kaigan

    Terraced cliffs in the north and a ria coast of deep bays in the south; protected in the Sanriku Fukko National Park.

  • Jodogahama

    浄土ヶ浜Jōdogahama

    A cove near Miyako lined with white rhyolite pinnacles and pine trees, the best-known scenic spot on the coast.

  • Hachimantai

    八幡平Hachimantai

    A broad volcanic plateau on the border with Akita with marshes, fir forest and hot springs, part of Towada-Hachimantai National Park.

  • Geibikei Gorge

    猊鼻渓Geibikei

    A limestone gorge of the Satetsu River near Ichinoseki, travelled by flat-bottomed boats poled upstream between cliffs.

  • Ryusendo

    龍泉洞Ryūsendō

    A limestone cave at Iwaizumi with underground lakes of exceptionally clear water, counted among Japan's three great limestone caves.

Nature in this prefecture

GorgesGeibikei GorgeGeibikeiPoled boats between limestone cliffsCoastsJodogahamaJōdogahamaWhite rocks, green pines and calm blue waterMountainsMount IwateIwate-sanThe volcano of Morioka, lopsided Fuji of the old Nanbu domain.2038 mNational ParksSanriku Fukko National ParkSanriku Fukkō Kokuritsu KōenCliffs, rias and a coast rebuilding after the tsunamiNational ParksTowada-Hachimantai National ParkTowada-Hachimantai Kokuritsu KōenCaldera lake, mountain stream and hot springs of the northern mountains2038 m

World Heritage in this prefecture

Inscribed 2011Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure LandA northern capital built as an image of paradiseCulturalInscribed 2015Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal MiningFurnaces, docks and mines of Japan's rapid industrialisationCulturalInscribed 2021Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern JapanTen thousand years of settled life without farmingCultural

History

In antiquity the Kitakami basin was the land of the Emishi, peoples outside the control of the Yamato court. Campaigns under Sakanoue no Tamuramaro ended the resistance led by Aterui around 802, and the court built fortresses at Isawa and Shiwa. Local power soon passed to families of mixed court and northern ancestry: the Abe, defeated in the Former Nine Years' War, and then the Kiyohara, whose internal conflict ended in the Later Three Years' War.

From the survivor of these wars, Fujiwara no Kiyohira, descended the Oshu Fujiwara, who for four generations ruled the north from Hiraizumi. Wealth from gold, horses and northern trade financed temples intended to realise the Buddhist Pure Land on earth. In 1189 Minamoto no Yoritomo destroyed the house after it had sheltered his brother Yoshitsune.

Under the Tokugawa, the Nanbu clan ruled the north from Morioka and the Date of Sendai the south around Ichinoseki and Mizusawa. Famines caused by the yamase wind triggered repeated peasant uprisings. In the modern era Kamaishi became the cradle of Japanese iron-making, while the Sanriku coast was struck by major tsunami in 1896, 1933 and 2011.

  1. c. 802

    Aterui surrenders to Sakanoue no Tamuramaro; Isawa Castle is built near present-day Oshu.

  2. 1051–1062

    Former Nine Years' War ends the power of the Abe clan in the Kitakami valley.

  3. 1105

    Fujiwara no Kiyohira begins large-scale building at Chuson-ji in Hiraizumi.

  4. 1124

    Completion of the Konjikido, the gold-covered hall of Chuson-ji.

  5. 1189

    Minamoto no Yoritomo destroys the Oshu Fujiwara after the death of Yoshitsune at Hiraizumi.

  6. 1597

    Nanbu Nobunao begins building Morioka Castle, seat of the Nanbu domain until 1871.

  7. 1857

    Oshima Takato fires Japan's first successful Western-style blast furnace at Ohashi, Kamaishi.

  8. 1876

    Iwate Prefecture reaches its present borders.

  9. 1896, 1933

    The Meiji and Showa Sanriku tsunami devastate the coast.

  10. 2011

    The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami strike the coast on 11 March; Hiraizumi is inscribed as World Heritage in June.

Culture

Iwate's culture draws on two strands: the court-influenced Buddhist heritage of Hiraizumi and the rural traditions of a hard northern farming and fishing life. Dozens of local kagura troupes and deer-dance groups still perform at shrine festivals, and Tono's folk tales – recorded by Yanagita Kunio in Tono Monogatari (1910) – became a founding text of Japanese folklore studies. Literature is a point of pride: Miyazawa Kenji from Hanamaki and Ishikawa Takuboku from near Morioka are among the most widely read Japanese writers of the early twentieth century.

Festivals

  • Morioka Sansa Odori

    盛岡さんさ踊りMorioka Sansa Odori

    A parade of dancers and taiko drummers through central Morioka from 1 to 4 August, rooted in the Mitsuishi demon legend.

  • Chagu Chagu Umakko

    チャグチャグ馬コChagu Chagu Umakko

    Around a hundred horses in bright harnesses hung with bells walk from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in Takizawa to Morioka Hachimangu in June, honouring the region's horse-breeding past.

  • Fujiwara Festivals

    藤原まつりFujiwara Matsuri

    Spring (1–5 May) and autumn (1–3 November) festivals in Hiraizumi with a costumed procession recalling the Oshu Fujiwara and Yoshitsune.

  • Kitakami Michinoku Performing Arts Festival

    北上・みちのく芸能まつりKitakami Michinoku Geinō Matsuri

    An early-August gathering in Kitakami of folk performing arts groups, especially oni-kenbai sword dances and deer dances.

  • Tono Festival

    遠野まつりTōno Matsuri

    A September festival in Tono with horseback archery, deer dances and other local folk arts.

Traditional crafts

  • Nanbu ironware

    南部鉄器Nanbu tekki

    Cast-iron kettles and pots made in Morioka and Mizusawa (Oshu), a craft fostered by the Nanbu and Date clans since the seventeenth century.

  • Hidehira lacquerware

    秀衡塗Hidehira-nuri

    Lacquered bowls with gold-leaf lozenges and cloud patterns, named after the third Oshu Fujiwara lord, Hidehira.

  • Joboji lacquerware

    浄法寺塗Jōbōji-nuri

    Plain, robust lacquerware from Ninohe; the Joboji area is the largest source of domestic Japanese lacquer sap, used in the repair of national treasures.

  • Iwayado chests

    岩谷堂箪笥Iwayadō tansu

    Wooden chests of drawers from Oshu with lacquer finish and heavy decorative iron fittings.

  • Nanbu kokeshi

    南部こけしNanbu kokeshi

    Turned wooden dolls, among several kokeshi traditions found in Iwate's hot-spring areas.

Traditions

  • Hayachine Kagura

    早池峰神楽Hayachine kagura

    Masked sacred dances performed by two troupes at the foot of Mount Hayachine, inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2009.

  • Deer dance

    鹿踊shishi-odori

    Dancers wearing deer masks with tall antlers and long bamboo streamers perform to their own drums, honouring the spirits of animals and ancestors.

  • Oni-kenbai

    鬼剣舞oni-kenbai

    A vigorous sword dance performed in demon-like masks, typical of the Kitakami area.

  • Tono folk tales

    遠野物語Tōno monogatari

    Stories of kappa, zashiki-warashi house spirits and mountain beings collected in Tono and published by Yanagita Kunio in 1910.

  • Nanbu magariya

    南部曲り家Nanbu magariya

    L-shaped farmhouses in which people and horses lived under one roof, a sign of the importance of horse breeding in the Nanbu domain.

Cuisine

Iwate's food reflects both the sea and the cold uplands. The Sanriku coast supplies sea urchin, abalone, scallops, oysters and wakame seaweed, much of it farmed in the ria bays. Inland, buckwheat, wheat flour dishes and beef from cattle raised in the Kitakami basin dominate, and Morioka has three well-known noodle dishes of its own.

  • Wanko soba

    わんこそばwanko soba

    Small mouthfuls of soba tossed into the diner's bowl by a server until the lid is closed; associated with Morioka and Hanamaki.

  • Morioka reimen

    盛岡冷麺Morioka reimen

    Chewy, translucent cold noodles in beef broth with kimchi and fruit, introduced in the 1950s by a Korean-born cook.

  • Morioka jajamen

    盛岡じゃじゃ麺Morioka jajamen

    Flat udon-style noodles with a miso meat sauce; the last of the noodles is finished as an egg soup called chitantan.

  • Hittsumi

    ひっつみhittsumi

    A home-style soup of hand-torn wheat dough with chicken and vegetables.

  • Sanriku sea urchin

    三陸のウニSanriku no uni

    Sea urchin from the northern coast, eaten fresh or as ichigo-ni, a clear soup of urchin and abalone.

  • Nanbu senbei

    南部せんべいNanbu senbei

    Crisp wheat crackers baked in round iron moulds, often with sesame or peanuts, shared with neighbouring Aomori.

  • Maesawa beef

    前沢牛Maesawa-gyū

    Wagyu raised in the Maesawa area of Oshu, one of Tohoku's best-known beef brands.

Hot springs

  • Hanamaki Onsen area

    花巻温泉郷Hanamaki onsenkyō

    A cluster of a dozen hot springs west of Hanamaki, including Osawa Onsen with its old self-catering bathhouse.

  • Namari Onsen

    鉛温泉Namari Onsen

    Part of the Hanamaki group, known for a deep bath in which bathers stand, fed from below by the spring.

  • Tsunagi Onsen

    繋温泉Tsunagi Onsen

    Morioka's own hot-spring resort on the shore of Lake Gosho, with views of Mount Iwate.

  • Matsukawa Onsen

    松川温泉Matsukawa Onsen

    A small milky-water spa at Hachimantai beside Japan's first commercial geothermal power station (1966).

  • Geto Onsen

    夏油温泉Getō Onsen

    Riverside open-air baths in a mountain valley west of Kitakami, closed in the snowy months.

Economy

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries weigh more heavily in Iwate than in most prefectures. The Kitakami basin grows rice, the uplands raise beef and dairy cattle, and Iwate is one of Japan's leading producers of broiler chickens. The Sanriku coast is a major source of wakame, oysters, scallops and sea urchin. Along the Kitakami corridor, manufacturing has grown around semiconductor production in Kitakami and a large car-assembly plant in Kanegasaki, while Kamaishi retains a steel works.

Key industries

  • Rice and upland farming
  • Beef, dairy and poultry
  • Fisheries and aquaculture (wakame, oysters, scallops, sea urchin)
  • Forestry and timber
  • Semiconductors and electronic components
  • Car assembly and parts
  • Steel (Kamaishi)
  • Traditional crafts: ironware and lacquer

Notable people

  • Miyazawa Kenji (1896–1933)

    宮沢賢治

    Poet, children's author and agronomist from Hanamaki; author of Night on the Galactic Railroad and the poem 'Ame ni mo makezu'. He called his idealised Iwate 'Ihatov'.

  • Ishikawa Takuboku (1886–1912)

    石川啄木

    Tanka poet raised in Shibutami near Morioka, whose collections express longing for his home district.

  • Nitobe Inazo (1862–1933)

    新渡戸稲造

    Educator and diplomat born in Morioka, author of Bushido: The Soul of Japan and an Under-Secretary General of the League of Nations.

  • Hara Takashi (1856–1921)

    原敬

    Born in Morioka; the first commoner to become prime minister of Japan (1918–1921).

  • Goto Shinpei (1857–1929)

    後藤新平

    Physician and statesman from Mizusawa (Oshu), who led the reconstruction planning of Tokyo after the 1923 earthquake.

  • Ohtani Shohei (born 1994)

    大谷翔平

    Baseball player from Oshu, who attended high school in Hanamaki before playing in Japan and the United States.

Getting there

  • The Tohoku Shinkansen runs the length of the Kitakami valley via Ichinoseki, Kitakami, Shin-Hanamaki and Morioka; the fastest trains reach Morioka from Tokyo in a little over two hours.
  • At Morioka the Akita Shinkansen branches west to Lake Tazawa, Kakunodate and Akita, and the line continues north towards Aomori and Hokkaido.
  • Iwate Hanamaki Airport, between Hanamaki and Morioka, has domestic flights to Osaka, Sapporo and other major cities.
  • The coast is reached by bus or by the Kamaishi and Yamada lines from the Kitakami valley; the Sanriku Railway Rias Line runs along much of the shore, and the Sanriku Coastal Road links the coastal towns by expressway.
  • The Tohoku Expressway follows the Kitakami valley from Miyagi to Aomori.

Neighbouring prefectures

Former provinces

  • 陸奥Mutsu
  • 陸中Rikuchū
  • 陸前Rikuzen

Prefectural symbols

Flower
桐kiri
Tree
南部アカマツNanbu akamatsu
Bird
キジkiji

Frequently asked questions

What is Iwate best known for?

The World Heritage temples of Hiraizumi, the Sanriku coast, Nanbu cast-iron ware, wanko soba and the writer Miyazawa Kenji. It is also the largest prefecture on Honshu.

How do you get from Tokyo to Iwate?

By Tohoku Shinkansen: the fastest trains reach Morioka in a little over two hours, and Ichinoseki (for Hiraizumi) is also on the line.

Is the Sanriku coast recovered from the 2011 tsunami?

The towns have been largely rebuilt, often on raised ground behind new sea walls, and memorial museums such as the one at Rikuzentakata document the disaster. The coast is protected as Sanriku Fukko National Park.

What is the best time to visit Iwate?

Late April to early May brings cherry blossom in Morioka and Kitakami, August the Sansa Odori and summer festivals, and October the autumn colours of Hachimantai and Geibikei. Winter suits skiing and hot springs.

What is wanko soba?

A Morioka and Hanamaki custom in which small portions of soba are tossed into the diner's bowl one after another until the diner covers the bowl with its lid.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  2. 2.全国都道府県市区町村別面積調 (opens in a new tab) — Geospatial Information Authority of Japan
  3. 3.岩手県公式ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 岩手県
  4. 4.Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  5. 5.Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Editorial team · Published: