A specialty store in art supplies and picture
frames.
We also have a casual art gallery andworkshops for art beginners.

A multi-brand shop where you can findtips for your daily life, such as “HietoriSocks” that improves your physicalcondition by warming your body.

We have cute original fabrics that are
perfect for entering kindergarten or enteringschool, and are recommended for those whoare particular about originality.

Want to know about
yarn? Visit us!
We’ ve got variety ofdifferent yarns especiallyfor you.

We have a wide selection of leather materials
and a leather craft kits that you can make one
for your own.
Also, our craftsmen will take a gentle care andrepair your damaged leather products.

There are lots of inspirational
goods which shop ownerpurchased directly from theNorthern Europe.

Looking for
an American Vintage goods?
Come stop by!

A wide variety craft shop located in aroom of an apartment.
The room is filled with classic andunique items.

A multi-brandcrafts shop anda coffee shop.

Not only a tableware, stationary,or accessories, we have wide
variety of vintage-like daily
goods.

A store with sophisticatedand trendy items.

We have Iwate’s highly selectedfoods and crafts for your own andsouvenirs.

If you are looking forhigh quality stationery
and goods, this is the place!

We provide a wide variety of special
fabrics, beads and craft kits.

Inside the renovated old folk house,
not only a highly selected interiors
and furniture, you could also create
original crafts with craftsmen.

From stationery to cosmetics
and household goods, this is aplace where you can always
find the one you are lookingfor.

Shitakoji Somon

Yotsuya Somon“Sōmon”, the gateway to Morioka Castle

In order to enter the castle town, it was necessary to pass through a “gate” called“Sōmon”. There were 7 different Sōmon placed along the Morioka Castle; the Nio
Kamino-hashi Bridge
Sōmon, the Yotsuya Sōmon, the Kitayama Sōmon, the Shitakoji Sōmon, the Kagano
Ishiwarizakura
Sōmon, the Hachimancho Sōmon, and the Kokucho Sōmon. By each gate, there wereNio Somon
guards to restrict people and horses coming inside and out the castle, also to check onguns carried in.
In particular, the area around the Kokumachi Sōmon, which leads to themain street
Edo-Tono-Miyako Kaido Road, was said to be the most prosperous area. Many merchant
Sakurayama Shrine
old sitehouses and inns were lined up along the street and the area was always filled withSAIEN street
merchants, travelers, and contingents from various areas.
Hachimancho Somon
The “Kizuya Ikeno Tōbe Residence” built behind the site ofMorioka
CastleRuinsParkKokumachi Sōmon is one of the few remained townhouses which youKaiun-bashi Bridge
could feel the atmosphere of the feudal period.
Shimono-hashi Bridge
Morioka Hachimangu Shrine
Such as the residence, the areas near
Kokucho Somonthe gates have a lot of stories to tell.
Why don’t you walk along the 7
Sōmon and immerse yourself into thegood old days.

Kagano Somon

MORIOKA station

Meiji Bridge

Shinzan funabashi

Destruction and Blessing of the Kitakami River
During the Edo period, the Morioka clan secured foreign currency by transporting rice, grain, and lumber to Edo andOsaka, and converting the goods into cash. Therefore, boats for a large-scale transport had an important role for theclans.
The bridge across the Shinzan riverbank (Shinzan-kashi) was the starting point for water transportation on theKitakami River. As the guardhouses and boathouses built by the river, the number of people visiting had been
increasing. While the Kitakami River was known for the “Rampage River” due to the repeated flooding, the bridge had
been washed away repeatedly. Thus, in 1682, the Morioka clan built a pontoon bridge called “Shinzan Funabashi” bychaining multiple boats to pillars on bothbanks and placing planks on top of theboats. By doing so, the bridge could be
moved before flooding and erected assoon as the floods subsided. This idea
made people continuously use the bridge
until the early Meiji period. Due to its
historical value, the Shinzan Funabashi
was designed as a historic site by
Morioka city in 1966. Also, the ricestoking warehouse built by the bridge has
been preserved as one of the importantlandscape structures in Morioka city.

Visiting retain traces of the past 100 years
By the street to Nataya-cho(Nataya town), there is a Former
Wada Liquor Store.
The building was originally theMiyako Bank with a huge basementthat was used as a stockroom. Still,
an old sake billboard being
displayed, such as local famous sakebrand “Iwategawa (Iwate River)” or
the Suntory Whiskey tin plates, thebuilding is regarded as invaluable
architecture.
Also, in 2019, a guesthouse“ToToTo” opened in a renovatedWada’s warehouse across the liquor
store. The renovation plan of theformer Wada Liquor Store is being
discussed.

Let's walk through the vestiges of the castle town "Morioka"

Teramachi Somon

Renovated Constructions“ToToTo”: Although it’s a guesthouse, feel free to just stop by and gather around!
Throughout the days of before and after the Miyako Bank established in 1918 andbecame the Wada Liquor Store, the building is loved and cherished by the community.
The guesthouse “ToToTo” built across the former Wada Liquor Store is valued by thetourists all around the world.
*Renovation is the purpose of restoring an aging building to return it to its original
performance, while renovation involves large-scale renovations such as changing thefloor plan and plumbing work of an aging building to add new functionality. The purpose
is to add and improve value.