The Morioka Castle Site Park was first built towards the
end of the Sengoku period by Nanbu Nobunao, who
tasked his son Nanbu Toshinao to oversee the
construction. Despite the flooding from the Nakatsu and
Kitakami Rivers, the castle was completed in 1633 and
Nanbu Shigenao, the third lord, was able to take up
residency. The castle site used to be called Kozukata
Castle, until it was renamed to Morioka because the
ruling lord at the time preferred it. One year later after in
1634, the main keep burned to the ground and was never
rebuilt. The Nanbu Clan made Morioka Castle their
residents throughout the Edo Period. When the Meiji
Restoration began, Morioka Castle as well as other
structures was demolished in 1874. All that was left were
the castle walls. For many years after the castle site was
left neglected and unattended. During this time two
famous poets visited the grounds and wrote about it.
Kenji Miyazawa, a famous children’s book writer, wrote
poems about the castle ruins and there is a monument
dedicated to him.
Ishikawa Takuboku, a famous young Japanese poet,
went to middle school in Morioka. Takuboku used to skip
classes to go to the nearby Morioka Castle Site Parks
where he would read books. A memorial plaque is
dedicated to him with a poem by him that translates to
“Lying on the grass of Kozuata’s palace staring up at the
sky, the heart of being 15.” In 1906, the Morioka Castle
ruins were open to the public as Iwate Park when
Yasuhei Nagaoka, a modern park designer, finished his
garden layouts that infused the castle walls. Then in 1934
the Nanbu Clan donated the area to Morioka city. The
Morioka Castle Site Park is now a popular spot for the
cherry blossom and autumn seasons. At its centennial
celebration the name of the site changed from Iwate Park
to Morioka Castle Site Park to commemorate its history.
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