Overview

About the Castle

Morioka Castle was begun by Nanbu Nobunao in the third year of Keichō (1598) at Kuzukata, near the confluence of the Kitakami and Nakatsu rivers, and was completed as a grand castle with magnificent stone walls after approximately 20 years. The Nanbu clan was one of Tōhoku's greatest domains, ruling vast territories spanning Iwate, Aomori, and Akita; their history was marked by pride as a noble lineage descended from the Kai Genji (Minamoto clan) and by tales of martial valor. The castle name "Kuzukata" is said to derive either from "kuzukata" (the direction from which visitors do not come) or from the ancient remoteness of the place, preserving the mystical resonance of a northern place name. Nanbu Nobunao had long envisioned the construction of a new primary castle, and he determined that the confluence of the Kitakami and Nakatsu rivers offered the finest location in three respects: traffic, defense, and the formation of a castle town. Even after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's unification of the realm, the Nanbu clan retained their domain, and Nobunao devoted his resources to the castle-building enterprise.

Architecture and the Beauty of Stone Walls

The greatest feature of Morioka Castle is the magnificent beauty of its stone walls. The stone walls, constructed using abundant granite from the Kitakami highlands with three techniques—nozura-zumi (coursed rubble), uchi-komi-hagi (fitted ashlar), and kiri-komi-hagi (dressed ashlar)—form a precious architectural heritage where the evolution of technique across periods can be observed within a single castle. The stone walls of the inner and second citadels particularly reach heights of more than ten meters, forming an unparalleled grand stone-wall landscape among Tōhoku castles. The castle's layout followed a stepped-enclosure (tekkaku) design with inner, second, and third citadels and lower guard enclosures, with the Kitakami and Nakatsu rivers functioning as natural moats in a robust design. Out of deference to the shogunate, a formal tower keep was not constructed; instead, a three-story watchtower served as its substitute, later renamed "tenshu," but all structures were lost with the Meiji abolition of domains. What did the lost tower keep look like? Surviving diagrams and documents suggest it was a three-story structure, but its true form remains shrouded in mystery. Today it is maintained as Iwate Park, where seasonal beauty—spring cherry blossoms, summer verdure, autumn crimson—is beloved by the public.

The History and Pride of the Nanbu Clan

Throughout the Sengoku period, despite internal clan conflicts involving the Tsugaru, Tago, and Ichinohe branches, the Nanbu clan reigned as overlords of northeastern Tōhoku. The "Rebellion of Kunohe Masasane" in the nineteenth year of Tenshō (1591) was the Nanbu clan's greatest internal conflict; Kunohe Masasane, who resisted to the last at Kunohe Castle, eventually surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's vast army. Though this conflict secured Nanbu control, it was also a tragedy in which many samurai lost their lives. In the Edo period, the well-established roads for the sankin-kōtai (alternate attendance) system extended from Morioka to Edo, and the Nanbu region's reputation as a horse-breeding center grew. Nanbu horses were renowned throughout the nation as a source of quality mounts, indispensable for samurai cavalry warfare. The distinctive folk architecture known as "Nanbu magari-ya" (bent house), where horses and people cohabited, reflects the Nanbu spirit that valued horses as samurai companions.

Nanbu Ironware and Craft Culture

Morioka is world-famous as the birthplace of Nanbu ironware (nanbu tetsubin). Its substantial iron kettles and teapots receive the highest praise abroad and stand as one of the most representative Japanese crafts. The technique of Nanbu ironware developed in the early Edo period under the patronage of the Nanbu domain. It is said that because the second daimyo, Nanbu Shigenao, cultivated a love of the tea ceremony, tea-kettle craftsmen were invited to Morioka, and their techniques expanded into the production of iron kettles and braziers. In relation to swords, Nanbu metalworking technique was applied to the creation of sword fittings, and Nanbu tsuba (crossguards) and menuki (grip ornaments), with their simple yet robust designs, remain highly valued among sword enthusiasts as works embodying the functional beauty of martial equipment.

The Castle of Poets

From the castle ruins, one can behold a magnificent view of Morioka's cityscape and Mount Iwate (the "Nanbu Fuji"), allowing visitors to experience the primordial landscape beloved by poets Ishikawa Takuboku and Miyazawa Kenji. Takuboku composed the poem "Lying upon the grass of Kuzukata's castle, the heart of fifteen drawn up into the sky," preserving in verse his memory of childhood spent lying on the castle ruins' grass, gazing upward at the blue sky. Miyazawa Kenji likewise studied at Morioka Middle School (now Morioka First High School) and etched the castle-town landscape into his heart, drawing from Morioka's natural beauty one of the sources of the unique cosmology symbolized in his work "Night on the Galactic Railroad." The communion between this castle and its poets infuses the castle—a legacy of martial valor—with literary sentiment, making Morioka Castle a place of even greater depth. Morioka is both a "city of martial arts" and a "city of letters," having produced giants of Japanese literature and linguistics such as Ishikawa Takuboku, Miyazawa Kenji, and Kindaichi Kyōsuke. The delicate sensibilities of the poets who lived in the castle town were nurtured amid the tension created by the rugged stone walls of the rocky mountain and the majestic natural beauty of Ōshū. The cultural soil of Morioka, where martial valor and literature coexist, resonates deeply with the aesthetic philosophy of the Japanese sword, which finds beauty in the blade as both weapon and art.

The Nanbu Clan's Mastery of Both Martial and Literary Arts, and Their Swords

The Nanbu clan, a noble house of Ōshū based in Mitsobe (Aomori Prefecture), was an eminent samurai family rooted in Tōhoku as a vassal of the Kamakura shogunate. The Nanbu clan devoted themselves across generations to the connoisseurship and collection of swords; the official Nanbu-domain swordsmith known as "Nanbu-uchi" was renowned for his distinctive style, employing sand iron from Tōhoku and clear waters from the Ōu Mountains. The Nanbu tsuba (crossguard), a masterwork of sword fittings produced by Morioka's metalworking technique, remains highly regarded as a work that condenses the nature of Ōshū and samurai spirit within simple design. Exhibits within Morioka Castle display swords and armor passed down through the Nanbu lineage, offering insight into the true character of the samurai culture of the Nanbu's four hundred thousand koku domain. The spirit of the Ōshū samurai who guarded this castle through thirty-six generations of the Nanbu clan lives on in the land of Kuzukata, touching the hearts of all who visit the ruins of Morioka Castle with profound emotion.

Connection to Swords

The relationship between the Nanbu family and swords can be understood from two perspectives: the geographic advantage of being located in one of northeastern Japan's premier iron-producing regions, and the spiritual dimension of their role as samurai clan leaders. The Nanbu domain had long been known for producing high-quality iron, and sword forging using that iron was a crucial foundation supporting Nanbu samurai culture. Sword smiths of the Shindō family in service to the Nanbu domain—such as Shindō Genji Yoshimasa, resident of Morioka in the Ōshū Nanbu domain—continuously forged practical, sharp blades using Nanbu's high-quality iron sand that could withstand Tōhoku's harsh climate. The metalworking techniques refined through generations of Nanbu ironware production were applied to the creation of sword fittings; Nanbu tsuba and menuki, with their plain yet powerful aesthetic, are treasured works embodying the functional beauty of martial equipment and remain highly regarded among sword enthusiasts. Throughout the Sengoku period, the Nanbu family faced numerous battles and required superior swords for each occasion. In conflicts with the Tsugaru family and the Kunohe Rebellion (Tenshō 19 / 1591), Nanbu samurai risked their lives in combat, their swords inscribed with loyalty to their lord and samurai pride. The Battle of Kunohe Castle was recorded in history as the last major rebellion in northeastern Japan, an event that profoundly influenced Nanbu sword culture. During the late Edo period (Bakumatsu), Morioka domain samurai also participated in the Boshin War bearing swords, fighting on the former shogunate's side against the new government forces. After defeat, many clan samurai experienced the humiliation of having their swords confiscated, yet it is said that not a few secretly preserved their family treasure swords. Nanbu sword culture can still be learned today through swords and sword fittings preserved in the Morioka Pioneer Memorial Hall and Iwate Prefectural Museum. Considering the technical lineage of Nanbu ironware, Morioka can truly be said to be one of the cities in Japan that most deeply embodied the culture of "iron and swords."

* Image is for illustrative purposes only.

National Historic SiteTōhoku

Morioka Castle (Kozukata Castle)

盛岡城（不来方城）

Lord

Nanbu Nobunao / Nanbu clan

Era

Construction began 1598 (Keichō 3)

Designation

National Historic Site

Location

1-37 Uchimaru, Morioka, Iwate

Access

About 15 min walk from JR Morioka Station (Tōhoku Shinkansen). The castle park is centrally located and can be combined with visits to Nanbu ironware workshops and the Kenji Miyazawa Memorial.

Morioka Castle (Kozukata Castle) is a historic castle in Tōhoku dating from the Construction began 1598 (Keichō 3), whose lord was Nanbu Nobunao / Nanbu clan.