Morioka Hachimangu Shrine

On the second Saturday of June, horses in colorful costume and tinkling bells arrive at Morioka Hachimangu, the guardian shrine of Morioka in Iwate Prefecture. The parade, Chagu Chagu Umakko, begins at Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in Takizawa and ends here.

Tradition says the shrine was founded in 1062 when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi enshrined the deity of Iwashimizu Hachimangu during the Former Nine Years' War. In 1593 Nanbu Nobunao made it the guardian shrine of the newly built Morioka Castle, and in 1680 Nanbu Shigenobu invited the deity of Kushihiki Hachiman from Hachinohe. The main deity is Homuda-wake-no-mikoto (Emperor Ojin).

The grounds also hold Kasamori Inari Shrine, Umenomiya (known for safe childbirth), Morioka Tenjin Shrine and Iwate Gokoku Shrine. The autumn festival on September 13-16 features floats, a tradition said to date from 1709, and the "Hadaka Mairi" winter pilgrimage is held on the evening of January 15. The current halls were rebuilt in December 1997 after repeated fires and damage, and the worship hall is decorated with carvings of paulownia flowers, the prefectural flower. From Morioka Station, take a bus to the Iwate Kenkotsu Bus Center and walk about 10 minutes.