Iwate Prefecture Specialty Products, Souvenirs, Shrines and Temples, and Sightseeing | 47 Prefectures Guide

Iwate is the largest prefecture on Honshu. The sea and the mountains are far apart, so the coast and the inland areas yield completely different things.

Specialties

The Sanriku Coast is where cold and warm currents meet, a tide front. It is rich in plankton, wakame seaweed, abalone, sea urchin, and oysters are produced there. Farmed wakame in particular has one of the largest production volumes in Japan.

The ria coastline of Sanriku has deep bays and calm waves, making it well suited to aquaculture. The same terrain can worsen damage during a tsunami. The conditions of the land bring both blessings and danger at the same time.

In the inland areas, gentians rank first in Japan for production. Iwate is also known as a producer of mixed grains such as barnyard millet, foxtail millet, and common millet.

Souvenirs

Nanbu senbei is a confection shared across the former Nanbu Domain, covering northern Iwate and southern Aomori. It is one example where culture is divided not by prefectural borders, but by the borders of former domains one such example.

There are sweets with yolk-colored bean paste, represented by “Kamome no Tamago,” and then wanko soba. Dried noodles can be taken home.

Shrines and Temples

Chuson-ji Temple in Hiraizumi Town has Konjikido, a National Treasure. The hall is covered with gold leaf inside and out, and the remains of four generations of the Oshu Fujiwara family are still enshrined there.

It was no accident that Konjikido was built here. In the late Heian period, Mutsu was a gold-producing region. That gold, together with wealth from northern trade, created a cultural sphere here distinct from Kyoto. Local products became, just as they were, a form of faith. It is the same structure as Tozan Shrine in Saga.

The Pure Land Garden of Motsu-ji Temple in Hiraizumi Town is a garden that sought to recreate the Pure Land paradise on earth, centered around a pond. Along with Chuson-ji, it is a component asset of a World Cultural Heritage site.

The Chagu Chagu Umakko of Morioka Hachimangu Shrine (Morioka City) is a nationally selected intangible folk cultural property. Mitsuishi Shrine (Morioka City) is the rock said to be the origin of the prefecture name “Iwate” is the sacred object. A legend remains that an ogre pressed its handprint there and made a vow.

Sightseeing

Hiraizumi was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2011. Its registered name is “Hiraizumi — Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land.”

What was recognized was not only the beauty of the buildings. The idea of trying to recreate the Pure Land in this world is expressed in the very layout of the architecture and gardens — that was the point.

Ryusendo Cave is one of Japan’s three great limestone caves. It is known for the clarity of its underground lakes.

Traditional Crafts

Nationally designated items are Nambu Tekki ironware, Iwayado tansu chests, Hidehira lacquerware, Joboji-nuri lacquerware 4 items in total.

In particular, Joboji in Ninohe City is a major harvesting area for domestically produced lacquer and supports the repair of buildings designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.

For details, see 【VILLAGE Report vol.44】Iron kettles are crossing the sea

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References: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries “Crop Statistics Survey” and “Statistics on Fishery and Aquaculture Production,” Iwate Prefecture, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Chuson-ji Temple, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries — Value Village Editorial Department