[Iwate Prefecture] Iwate Prefecture is currently attracting attention! We checked out all the cities, towns and villages in Iwate Prefecture, which are the hometowns of Otani and Aki Sasaki!

It's starting to get warmer, making it the perfect season to travel to Iwate Prefecture. Iwate Prefecture has 33 municipalities, each with its own characteristics.

If you are traveling to Iwate Prefecture from outside of Tohoku, you will probably visit not just one city, town or village, but several, but knowing a little information about the city, town, or village you are visiting will make your trip much more enjoyable. Probably.

In this article, we will explain in detail the location and information of municipalities in Iwate Prefecture.

With this, you too should be able to become an Iwate connoisseur.

Iwate Prefecture has 33 municipalities

If you check the map of Iwate Prefecture, you will find that Morioka City, the prefectural capital, is located in the center of Iwate Prefecture, and Hiraizumi Town and Oshu City, where the World Heritage Site ``Hiraizumi Cultural Heritage'' is located, are in the southern part of the prefecture. It is located in

Due to municipal mergers, you may notice that there are more cities than towns or villages.

Older people may be more familiar with the old town name than the current city, town, or village name.

From here, we will introduce information about Iwate Prefecture.

Cities with the highest total population in Iwate Prefecture

We will introduce the most populous municipalities among the 33 municipalities in Iwate Prefecture.

There may also be prefectural capitals and unfamiliar city names. We will also explain its characteristics.

Morioka City

Morioka City is the prefectural capital and has a population of 285,000 as of February 2020. It is the fifth largest city in Tohoku after Sendai City (Miyagi Prefecture), Iwaki City (Fukushima Prefecture), Koriyama City (Fukushima Prefecture), and Aomori City (Aomori Prefecture).

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Morioka City is such an attractive city that it was selected as one of the ``52 Places to Visit in 2023'' published in the New York Times (electronic version) in January 2025, and it is said to be a perfect place for sightseeing in the future. Masu.

From now on, travelers from all over the world will visit Morioka City. Before that, let's enjoy Morioka City.

Quote: Morioka City was selected as one of the New York Times' ``52 Places to Visit in 2023''

Quote: Morioka City (population and number of households)

Oshu City

Oshu City was born on February 20, 2006, through the merger of five municipalities: Mizusawa City, Esashi City, Maezawa Town, Isawa Town, and Kinugawa Village.

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It is the historical center of the ancient Tohoku region, and many ruins remain, and it is also possible to see historical buildings left by the Oshu Fujiwara clan.

Speaking of current topics, many people probably know it as the hometown of Angels player Shohei Otani. It is also recommended for those who want to know about Oshu City, where he was born and raised, and may even be able to get a little closer to Otani.

If you are interested not only in Otani, but also in cultural historical sites and ruins, why not come and visit us?

Ichinoseki City

Ichinoseki City has prospered as a hub city not only in southern Iwate but also in northern Miyagi Prefecture.

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There are also scenic spots such as Geibikei Gorge and Genbikei, as well as tourist spots such as Ichinoseki Hot Spring Village, making it an ideal base for sightseeing in Hiraizumi, a town registered as a World Heritage Site.

As the gateway to Iwate Prefecture, many people choose it as their first destination, so why not start your Iwate trip from Ichinoseki City, as it is easily accessible to all parts of Iwate Prefecture?

Hanamaki City

When you hear Hanamaki City, the first things that come to mind are probably Kenji Miyazawa and Wanko Soba.

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Kenji Miyazawa is a Japanese poet and fairy tale writer. He has created numerous works with motifs from his hometown of Iwate Prefecture. There is also the Kenji Miyazawa Memorial Museum, so it is a place you should visit when you stop by Hanamaki City.

If you think of Wanko Soba when you think of Iwate, please try Wanko Soba at least once in Hanamaki. Wanko soba, which has a unique style of eating, can be enjoyed as an event, so if you are confident in your appetite, please give it a try.

Many municipalities have numbers.

If you look at Iwate Prefecture and neighboring Aomori Prefecture, you'll notice that there are many cities, towns, villages and place names with numbers or doors (pronounced ``he'').

Why are there so many numbers in city, town, and village names?

Ninohe City, Kunohe District, Ichinohe Town, Ninohe District, etc.

Ichinohe, Ninohe...The name of a place with a ``door'' that extends to 9 nohes.This name was given during the Fujiwara period in Oshu in the late Heian period, and was the location of ``Nukanobu District,'' which was divided into nine districts. is the reason.

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(Shinohe does not exist now, but it used to exist.) When translated into today's language, shinohe means ``gun.''

It is said that the Oshu Fujiwara clan's headquarters was originally located in the Totsuki area, and there is a well-known theory that they later moved their headquarters from Esashi to Hiraizumi.

Hachimantai City

The city of Hachimantai was founded by Sakanoue Tamuramaro, the Great General of the Great Seii, who received orders from the imperial court to conquer the Emishi in the Tohoku region.He discovered a swamp filled with clear azure water and beautiful alpine flowers, and was fascinated by its beauty. I was very impressed.

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The story goes that this place felt like a place where a god lived, so they gathered all the soldiers and prayed to Hachiman Daibosatsu, the god of war, for victory.

Hachimantai is a very magical place, and it makes sense that people would think that Hachiman-sama would be there.

Source: Traveling Kazuno (origin of the name "Hachimantai")

There are many places connected to the Oshu Fujiwara clan.

There are many places around Iwate Prefecture that are connected to the Oshu Fujiwara clan, and it is well known that they built an urban culture around Hiraizumi.

What kind of relationship does the Oshu Fujiwara clan have with Iwate Prefecture?

Who is the Oshu Fujiwara clan?

The Oshu Fujiwara clan was a powerful clan in the Tohoku region during the late Heian period, and it is said that they ruled the entire Mutsu Province from their base in Hiraizumi.

It has flourished for three generations, leaving behind Chusonji Konjikido and Motsuji Temple.

The culture left behind by the Oshu Fujiwara clan remains strongly visible in the area around present-day Hiraizumi, and it has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the registered name being ``Hiraizumi - Architecture, Gardens, and Archaeological Heritage Representing Buddhist Land (Pure Land).'' group'.

The reason for the registration is that the group that was created based on the Pure Land philosophy that was the basis of the Fujiwara clan's philosophy still remains today.

The reason why the Oshu Fujiwara clan prospered

There are many mysteries, and there are various theories as to why the Oshu Fujiwara clan flourished, but one of the main reasons is ``gold dust and high-quality horses.''

There are many reasons why Hiraizumi was able to build an urban culture because it was blessed with these two things.

However, some say that this alone is a weak reason for the Oshu Fujiwara clan to prosper; in addition to this, northern Kyushu and the Tsugaru Peninsula were the gateways for trade with the continent and the Korean peninsula, so this may be a plausible reason for the Oshu Fujiwara clan to prosper. I don't know.

Mr. Oshu Fujiwara and the mummy?

If you search for the Oshu Fujiwara clan or Chusonji Konjikido, you will probably find the word "mummy".

It may have a scary image, but Chusonji Konjiki-do is dedicated to Kiyohira, Motohira, Hidehira, the successive heads of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, and Yasuhira, who was defeated by Yoritomo. )'s head is enshrined here.

Hiraizumi is the only place in Japan where three generations of Japanese power have been mummified.

Although it is impossible to see mummies, you can visit Chusonji Konjikido, so why not get a feel for the atmosphere of that era?

Why not take a trip to Iwate Prefecture, which is rich in nature and has a rich history?

We have introduced the names of cities, towns and villages in Iwate Prefecture.

Iwate Prefecture has many recommended places this year, including Morioka City, which was introduced as a must-visit place in 2023, and Oshu City, the hometown of Angels player Otani.

The upcoming season will be ideal for sightseeing and food, so why not take a trip to Iwate Prefecture?