While the castle's foundations were being dug in 1597, a 6.66 m boulder came to light: it is still here, and sacred.
Founded in 1749 by the eighth lord, Nanbu Toshimi, to honour the four founding ancestors of his clan, the shrine stands inside the castle walls. Within it, the Eboshi-iwa (or Kabuto-iwa) is the boulder of two jō (6.66 m) that the diggers brought to light in 1597 during the construction of the castle: since then it has been the talisman stone of the Morioka domain, and rites for good fortune are still held before it in times of calamity.
Shinto shrine within the perimeter of Morioka Castle, dedicated to the ancestors of the Nanbu clan.
ℹ️ Grounds always open; the omamori office keeps its own hours, roughly 9:00–17:00.
🚉 Morioka · 19 min walk
Holidays in Japan? Plan them with us.Over 2,000 real places, a day-by-day itinerary.FreeOpen the map →Sources: kotabi.jp · iwatetabi.jp
Nearby
Morioka Castle200 mphoto by Tomofumi Sato · CC BY-SA 3.0
Iwate Bank Red Brick Building300 mphoto by 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hōon-ji1.3 kmphoto by 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0
Morioka Station1.3 kmphoto by Suicasmo · CC BY-SA 4.0