Miyagi · City
Ishinomaki
石巻市いしのまきしIshinomaki-shiRiver port, fishing harbour and a city of memory
Ishinomaki is a port city at the mouth of the Kitakami River in eastern Miyagi, the prefecture's second-largest city, historically a rice-shipping harbour and today a fishing and industrial centre rebuilt after the 2011 tsunami.
Overview
Ishinomaki spreads across the delta of the Kitakami River where it enters Ishinomaki Bay, and since a merger in 2005 its boundaries extend over the whole Oshika Peninsula, the slate coast of Ogatsu and the rice lands of the lower Kitakami. It is the second-largest city in Miyagi and one of the most important fishing ports on the Pacific coast of Japan, with fish processing, paper manufacture and shipping as its economic mainstays.
The city's history is tied to the river. In the early seventeenth century the Date domain redirected the Kitakami to Ishinomaki, and throughout the Edo period rice from the interior was loaded here onto ships bound for Edo. In 1613 Hasekura Tsunenaga's embassy to Spain and Rome set sail from Tsukinoura on the Oshika coast.
Ishinomaki suffered the greatest loss of life of any municipality in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011. The low-lying districts of Kadonowaki and Minamihama were swept away and fires broke out; at Okawa Elementary School on the Kitakami, most of the pupils and teachers died. The city has since been rebuilt behind raised embankments, and its memorial park and preserved school ruins are among the principal places in Japan for learning about the disaster.
Landmarks
Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Recovery Memorial Park
石巻南浜津波復興祈念公園Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Fukkō Kinen KōenMemorial park laid out on the site of the Minamihama and Kadonowaki neighbourhoods, with a national memorial facility and a garden of remembrance.
Kadonowaki Elementary School ruins
門脇小学校Kadonowaki ShōgakkōSchool building burned by tsunami-borne fires, preserved as a disaster ruin with an exhibition on the events of 2011.
Okawa Elementary School ruins
大川小学校Ōkawa ShōgakkōRiverside school in the Kahoku area where most pupils and several teachers died in the tsunami; the ruins are preserved as a place of remembrance.
Ishinomori Mangattan Museum
石ノ森萬画館Ishinomori MangakanSpacecraft-shaped museum on the Nakase islet devoted to Ishinomori Shotaro, creator of Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider; flooded in 2011 and reopened after repair.
Hiyoriyama Park
日和山公園Hiyoriyama KōenHill above the river mouth with Kashima Miko Shrine, a statue of Basho and a view across the rebuilt coast and the bay.
- 金華山Kinkasan
Sacred island off the tip of the Oshika Peninsula with Koganeyama Shrine, wild sika deer and macaques; part of Sanriku Fukko National Park.
Miyagi Keicho Embassy Ship Museum
宮城県慶長使節船ミュージアムMiyagi-ken Keichō Shisetsusen MyūjiamuMuseum at Tsukinoura devoted to Hasekura Tsunenaga's embassy and its ship, the San Juan Bautista.
Districts
City centre and Manga Road
立町TachimachiShopping streets between the station and the river, lined with statues of Ishinomori's characters.
Nakase
中瀬NakaseIslet in the Kitakami River, formerly a shipbuilding quarter, now a park with the Mangattan Museum.
- 鮎川Ayukawa
Whaling town at the tip of the peninsula, departure point for boats to Kinkasan.
Ogatsu
雄勝OgatsuRia-coast district known for slate inkstones and the Ogatsu hoin kagura.
History
Ishinomaki grew as the outport of the Kitakami basin. From around 1616 Kawamura Magobei, an engineer in Date service, carried out river works that brought the Kitakami, Hasama and Eai rivers together into a channel ending at Ishinomaki, making it the shipping point for the domain's rice to Edo. Matsuo Basho came in 1689 and described the busy harbour in Oku no Hosomichi.
In the modern period the port turned to fishing, whaling on the Oshika coast and, from the twentieth century, paper and timber industries. The city gained city status in 1933 and in 2005 merged with six surrounding towns. The 2011 tsunami destroyed much of the coastal city and the fishing villages of the peninsula; reconstruction brought new levees, relocated housing on higher ground and a network of memorial facilities.
1613
Hasekura Tsunenaga's Keicho embassy departs from Tsukinoura on the San Juan Bautista.
c. 1616–1626
Kawamura Magobei's river works redirect the Kitakami to Ishinomaki, creating the domain's rice port.
1689
Matsuo Basho visits Ishinomaki and climbs Hiyoriyama.
1933
Ishinomaki is incorporated as a city.
2001
The Ishinomori Mangattan Museum opens on the Nakase islet.
2005
Ishinomaki merges with Kahoku, Kanan, Monou, Kitakami, Ogatsu and Oshika.
2011
The earthquake and tsunami of 11 March devastate the city and the Oshika Peninsula.
2021
Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Recovery Memorial Park opens on the site of the destroyed districts.
Culture
Ishinomaki's culture combines the character of a working port with the legacy of Ishinomori Shotaro, whose characters populate the streets, and with a strong civic culture of remembrance since 2011. Community groups, storytellers and the preserved school ruins keep the memory of the tsunami alive, and the city has become a centre of disaster-risk education.
On the coast, the Ogatsu hoin kagura masked dances and the traditions of the whaling town of Ayukawa survive, and the pilgrimage to Kinkasan has drawn visitors for centuries, supported by the tradition that visiting three years in a row brings lasting prosperity.
Festivals
Ishinomaki Kawabiraki Matsuri
石巻川開き祭りIshinomaki Kawabiraki MatsuriHeld at the end of July and start of August in memory of Kawamura Magobei, with lantern floating, boat races and fireworks on the Kitakami.
Ogatsu hoin kagura
雄勝法印神楽Ogatsu hōin kaguraMasked shrine dances performed at festivals of the Ogatsu area.
Oshika whale festival
牡鹿鯨まつりOshika Kujira MatsuriSummer festival in Ayukawa celebrating the town's whaling heritage.
Food
Ishinomaki yakisoba
石巻焼きそばIshinomaki yakisobaBrown noodles steamed twice, fried with a little stock and served with a fried egg on top.
Kinka saba
金華さばkinka sabaFatty mackerel caught in the waters off Kinkasan and landed at Ishinomaki, a regional brand.
Hoya
ほやhoyaSea squirt farmed along the peninsula, eaten raw or grilled.
Whale meat
鯨肉geinikuPart of the food culture of the coastal whaling town of Ayukawa.
Oysters
牡蠣kakiFarmed in the bays of the Oshika Peninsula and the Mangoku-ura inlet.
Getting around
- The JR Senseki Line and the Senseki-Tohoku Line connect Sendai with Ishinomaki Station in about an hour.
- The JR Ishinomaki Line runs inland to Kogota on the Tohoku Main Line and out to Onagawa on the coast.
- Buses run from the station along the Oshika Peninsula to Ayukawa; a car makes the peninsula and Ogatsu much easier to explore.
- Ferries sail from Ishinomaki port to the islands of Tashirojima and Ajishima, and boats run from Ayukawa to Kinkasan.
- The Sanriku Expressway passes the city on its way north along the coast.
Day trips
- 金華山Kinkasan
Sacred island with Koganeyama Shrine and free-roaming deer, by boat from Ayukawa.
Tashirojima
田代島TashirojimaSmall island known for its many cats and a cat shrine, by ferry from Ishinomaki port.
Onagawa
女川OnagawaFishing town rebuilt around a pedestrian promenade to the sea, at the end of the Ishinomaki Line.
- 南三陸Minamisanriku
Ria-coast town with a memorial park and preserved disaster-prevention building, in Sanriku Fukko National Park.
- 松島Matsushima
Island-studded bay and Zuigan-ji, on the Senseki Line towards Sendai.
- 仙台Sendai
The prefectural capital, about an hour by train.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
What is Ishinomaki known for?
Ishinomaki is known as a major fishing port, for the Ishinomori Mangattan Museum and the manga statues of its centre, for Kinkasan and the Oshika Peninsula, and for its memorials to the 2011 tsunami.
How was Ishinomaki affected by the 2011 tsunami?
Ishinomaki lost more lives than any other municipality in the disaster, and large parts of the coastal city and the peninsula villages were destroyed. The former Kadonowaki and Okawa elementary schools are preserved as memorial sites.
How do I get to Ishinomaki from Sendai?
Trains on the JR Senseki Line or the Senseki-Tohoku Line take about an hour from Sendai to Ishinomaki. Highway buses also connect the two cities.
How can I visit Kinkasan?
Boats run to Kinkasan from Ayukawa at the tip of the Oshika Peninsula, which is reached by bus or car from Ishinomaki. Services are limited, so the official city and shrine sites should be checked before travelling.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.石巻市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 石巻市
- 3.三陸復興国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 4.宮城県公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 宮城県