Oshu, Iwate
Encyclopedia
is the second largest city
in Iwate Prefecture
, Japan
with a population of 127,804.
The city was founded on February 20, 2006, as the result of a merger between the cities of Esashi
and Mizusawa
, the towns of Maesawa
and Isawa
and the village of Koromogawa
from Isawa District
. The modern city traces its origins to the foundation of Fort Isawa by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
in 802 in what is now Mizusawa Ward. Ōshū City is famous for its Maesawa Beef, numerous festivals, historic temples and shrines and especially Fujiwara no Sato, a theme park and movie lot based on the exploits of the Northern Fujiwara
s in the 12th century. Many famous people have claimed Ōshū City as their home including Ichiro Ozawa
, the long-time leader of the Democratic Party of Japan
.
in terms of land area. The city lies in a fertile plain stradling the Kitakami River
and rises to the Ōu Mountains
in the west and the Kitakami mountains to the east. The city's highest point is Mt. Yakeishi-dake at 1,548 meters in the Ōu Mountains
. The northern boundary is marked by the Isawa River
while the Koromo River marks the southern border. Ishibuchi Dam creates a reservoir on the upper reaches of the Isawa River near Mt. Yakeishi-dake. However a new reservoir will be created behind Isawa Dam which will completely submerge the old reservoir. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2013. There is some concern among local citizens that the weight of the water in the reservoir will trigger an earthquake which could cause the dam to burst.
remains. Next to Route 397 in Isawa Ward is the Tsunozuka-kofun
Tumulus which dates from the 5th century.
By the 8th century Japanese hunters, trappers, settlers and itenerant missionaries were visiting and settling in this area coming into contact with the native Emishi
people. In 729 Kokuseki-ji Temple was said to have been established by the Buddhist priest Gyoki
in a mountainous area to the east of the Kitakami River in what is now Mizusawa Ward. In this century too the central government began sending military expeditions against the Emishi but with little success. In 776 two separate attacks were launched but neither met with success. In June 787 Emishi cavalry led by Aterui
and More surprised and routed a larger force of Japanese infantry in the Battle of Subuse Village which is now a part of Mizusawa Ward. Despite these military successes the Emishi could not hold out against the Japanese who engaged in a policy of burning crops and capturing and resettling women and children to Western Japan. In 802 the Emishi leaders Aterui
and More surrendered and were beheaded. That same year Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
, the Grand General of Conquering East-Barbarians or Seii Tai Shogun, established Fort Isawa in what is now Mizusawa Ward in an attempt to keep the peace.
Despite the victory the Japanese found themselves unable to rule the acquired territory directly. Six semi-autonomous districts were established along the Kitakami River
. Eventually these came under the control of a powerful Emishi
clan from Appi, the Abe Family. Early in the 11th century their leader Abe no Yoritoki
refused to pay taxes to the central government, led raiding parties south of the Koromo River and generally ruled as an independent monarch. This led to the Zenkunen War
(前九年合戦) or Early Nine-Years War (1050 - 1062) in which Minamoto no Yoriyoshi
reinforced by Kiyohara no Takenori from Dewa Province
defeated the Abes. The six semi-autonomous districts were then given to Kiyohara no Takenori. Corrupt administration in the Kiyohara family led the Japanese to war a second time. In the Gosannen War
(後三年合戦) or Latter Three Years' War (1083 - 1087) in which Minamoto no Yoshiie
subdued the Kiyoharas.
Fujiwara no Kiyohira
, the founder of the Oshu Fujiwara dynasty, was born in Fort Toyota which is now in the Iwayado area of Esashi Ward. The remains of the fort can still be seen there. Around 1100 he moved to Hiraizumi where he and his descendants ruled for nearly a hundred years. Much of Koromogawa Ward is full of the ruins of temples, estates and so forth dependant on Hiraizumi culture. The ruins at Chojagahara and Kinryuu-ji Temple are two examples.
In 1348 a Zen Buddhist priest named Mutei Ryosho founded Shobo-ji Temple near Kokuseki-ji Temple in Mizusawa Ward. It is the third head temple of the Sōtō
-shu sect of Zen Buddhism and boasts the largest thatched roof in Japan.
In the 16th century all of Oshu became a part of the Date family feudal domain ruled by Date Masamune
. One of his retainers was a certain Juan Goto who commanded Date Masamune's gun regiment at Osaka in 1614 and 1615. He was also a Christian and established a church in the Fukuwara area of Mizusawa Ward. After Christianity was outlawed in 1623 he went into hiding to escape capture. Many foreign missionaries visited the area but finally in December 1623 a Rev. Calvarius from Portugal was captured on the upper reaches of the Isawa River, sent to Sendai and forced to stand in the frozen Hirose River until he died on January 1, 1624. There is a memorial to Juan Goto in the Fukuwara area and many crypto-Christian remains can still be seen there.
Other famous Ōshū residents include:
Saitō Makoto
(1858-1936) Prime Minister of Japan;
Shimpei Goto (1857-1929) Governor of Taiwan, Home Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister;
Takano Choei
(1804-1850) Doctor and "Dutch Scholar"
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
in Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with a population of 127,804.
The city was founded on February 20, 2006, as the result of a merger between the cities of Esashi
Esashi, Iwate
Esashi was a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on November 3, 1958.On February 20, 2006 Esashi was merged with the city of Mizusawa, the towns of Maesawa and Isawa, and the village of Koromogawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū...
and Mizusawa
Mizusawa, Iwate
Mizusawa was a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 60,979 and a population density of 629.17 persons per km². The total area was 96.92 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1954....
, the towns of Maesawa
Maesawa, Iwate
was a town located in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 15,215 and a density of 210.33 persons per km²...
and Isawa
Isawa, Iwate
was a town in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.On February 20, 2006 Isawa was merged with the cities of Esashi and Mizusawa, the town of Maesawa, and the village of Koromogawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū....
and the village of Koromogawa
Koromogawa, Iwate
Koromogawa was a village located in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.On February 20, 2006 Koromogawa was merged with the cities of Esashi and Mizusawa, and the towns of Maesawa and Isawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 5,049...
from Isawa District
Isawa District, Iwate
is a district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of October 31, 2006, the district has an estimated population of 16,433 and a density of 91 persons per km²...
. The modern city traces its origins to the foundation of Fort Isawa by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
was a general and shogun of the early Heian Period of Japan. He was the son of Sakanoue no Karitamaro.-Military career:Serving Emperor Kammu, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the Emishi , a people native to the north of Honshū, which he subjugated...
in 802 in what is now Mizusawa Ward. Ōshū City is famous for its Maesawa Beef, numerous festivals, historic temples and shrines and especially Fujiwara no Sato, a theme park and movie lot based on the exploits of the Northern Fujiwara
Northern Fujiwara
The Northern Fujiwara were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region of Japan from the 12th to the 13th centuries as if it were their own realm. They succeeded the semi-independent Emishi families of the 11th century who were gradually brought down by the Minamoto clan loyal to the...
s in the 12th century. Many famous people have claimed Ōshū City as their home including Ichiro Ozawa
Ichiro Ozawa
is a Japanese politician. Formerly a chief secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party , he later defected from the LDP. He was the president of Japan's main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , from 2006 until May 2009, when he resigned over a fund scandal, and secretary general of the...
, the long-time leader of the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
.
Geography
At 993.35 square kilometers, Ōshū City is the second largest community in Iwate PrefectureIwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
in terms of land area. The city lies in a fertile plain stradling the Kitakami River
Kitakami River
The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is 249 kilometers long and drains an area of 10,150 square kilometers. It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The river is unusual in that it has two mouths, one flowing south into...
and rises to the Ōu Mountains
Ou Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. The range is the longest range in Japan and stretch south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. Though long, the range is only about wide...
in the west and the Kitakami mountains to the east. The city's highest point is Mt. Yakeishi-dake at 1,548 meters in the Ōu Mountains
Ou Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. The range is the longest range in Japan and stretch south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. Though long, the range is only about wide...
. The northern boundary is marked by the Isawa River
Isawa River
The is a river in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. For about half its length it marks the border between Kanegasaki Town and Ōshū City. The river's origin is in the Ōu Mountains just west of Mt. Yakeishi . At its highest point it is called the and flows south until it crosses National Route 397...
while the Koromo River marks the southern border. Ishibuchi Dam creates a reservoir on the upper reaches of the Isawa River near Mt. Yakeishi-dake. However a new reservoir will be created behind Isawa Dam which will completely submerge the old reservoir. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2013. There is some concern among local citizens that the weight of the water in the reservoir will trigger an earthquake which could cause the dam to burst.
History
The first inhabitants of this area were the prehistoric Jomon people but little remains of their presence except arrowheads and pottery fragments. Isawa Ward is especially rich in Kofun PeriodKofun period
The is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. It follows the Yayoi period. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...
remains. Next to Route 397 in Isawa Ward is the Tsunozuka-kofun
Kofun
Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Japan, constructed between the early 3rd century and early 7th century. They gave their name to the Kofun period . Many of the Kofun have a distinctive keyhole-shaped mound , unique to ancient Japan...
Tumulus which dates from the 5th century.
By the 8th century Japanese hunters, trappers, settlers and itenerant missionaries were visiting and settling in this area coming into contact with the native Emishi
Emishi
The constituted a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
people. In 729 Kokuseki-ji Temple was said to have been established by the Buddhist priest Gyoki
Gyoki
was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province , to family of Korean Baekje descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15, and studied under master Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara , a core doctrine of...
in a mountainous area to the east of the Kitakami River in what is now Mizusawa Ward. In this century too the central government began sending military expeditions against the Emishi but with little success. In 776 two separate attacks were launched but neither met with success. In June 787 Emishi cavalry led by Aterui
Aterui
was the most prominent chief of the Isawa band of Emishi in northern Japan. The Emishi were an indigenous peoples of North Japan, who were considered hairy barbarians by their Japanese conquerors....
and More surprised and routed a larger force of Japanese infantry in the Battle of Subuse Village which is now a part of Mizusawa Ward. Despite these military successes the Emishi could not hold out against the Japanese who engaged in a policy of burning crops and capturing and resettling women and children to Western Japan. In 802 the Emishi leaders Aterui
Aterui
was the most prominent chief of the Isawa band of Emishi in northern Japan. The Emishi were an indigenous peoples of North Japan, who were considered hairy barbarians by their Japanese conquerors....
and More surrendered and were beheaded. That same year Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
was a general and shogun of the early Heian Period of Japan. He was the son of Sakanoue no Karitamaro.-Military career:Serving Emperor Kammu, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the Emishi , a people native to the north of Honshū, which he subjugated...
, the Grand General of Conquering East-Barbarians or Seii Tai Shogun, established Fort Isawa in what is now Mizusawa Ward in an attempt to keep the peace.
Despite the victory the Japanese found themselves unable to rule the acquired territory directly. Six semi-autonomous districts were established along the Kitakami River
Kitakami River
The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is 249 kilometers long and drains an area of 10,150 square kilometers. It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The river is unusual in that it has two mouths, one flowing south into...
. Eventually these came under the control of a powerful Emishi
Emishi
The constituted a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
clan from Appi, the Abe Family. Early in the 11th century their leader Abe no Yoritoki
Abe no Yoritoki
was the head of the Abe clan of Emishi who were allowed to rule the six Emishi districts in the Kitakami Basin from Morioka to Hiraizumi in what is now Iwate Prefecture. The clan emerged from the Appi River basin in what is now Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture, early in the 9th century...
refused to pay taxes to the central government, led raiding parties south of the Koromo River and generally ruled as an independent monarch. This led to the Zenkunen War
Zenkunen War
The Zenkunen War , also known by the English translation Early Nine-Years War, was fought from 1051 to 1063, in Japan's Mutsu province, at the far north of the main island of Honshū...
(前九年合戦) or Early Nine-Years War (1050 - 1062) in which Minamoto no Yoriyoshi
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi
was a head of Japan's Minamoto clan who is perhaps most notable for having led, along with his son Minamoto no Yoshiie, the Imperial forces against rebellious forces in the north...
reinforced by Kiyohara no Takenori from Dewa Province
Dewa Province
is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...
defeated the Abes. The six semi-autonomous districts were then given to Kiyohara no Takenori. Corrupt administration in the Kiyohara family led the Japanese to war a second time. In the Gosannen War
Gosannen War
The Gosannen War , also known by the English translation Later Three-Year War, was fought during Japan's Heian period in the province of Mutsu at the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū. Though some scholars date the war to the period of 1086 to 1089, others place it a few years earlier,...
(後三年合戦) or Latter Three Years' War (1083 - 1087) in which Minamoto no Yoshiie
Minamoto no Yoshiie
Minamoto no Yoshiie , also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and Chinjufu shogun...
subdued the Kiyoharas.
Fujiwara no Kiyohira
Fujiwara no Kiyohira
was a samurai of mixed Japanese-Emishi parentage of the late Heian period , who was the founder of the Hiraizumi or Northern Fujiwara dynasty that ruled Northern Japan from about 1100 to 1189....
, the founder of the Oshu Fujiwara dynasty, was born in Fort Toyota which is now in the Iwayado area of Esashi Ward. The remains of the fort can still be seen there. Around 1100 he moved to Hiraizumi where he and his descendants ruled for nearly a hundred years. Much of Koromogawa Ward is full of the ruins of temples, estates and so forth dependant on Hiraizumi culture. The ruins at Chojagahara and Kinryuu-ji Temple are two examples.
In 1348 a Zen Buddhist priest named Mutei Ryosho founded Shobo-ji Temple near Kokuseki-ji Temple in Mizusawa Ward. It is the third head temple of the Sōtō
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
-shu sect of Zen Buddhism and boasts the largest thatched roof in Japan.
In the 16th century all of Oshu became a part of the Date family feudal domain ruled by Date Masamune
Date Masamune
was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...
. One of his retainers was a certain Juan Goto who commanded Date Masamune's gun regiment at Osaka in 1614 and 1615. He was also a Christian and established a church in the Fukuwara area of Mizusawa Ward. After Christianity was outlawed in 1623 he went into hiding to escape capture. Many foreign missionaries visited the area but finally in December 1623 a Rev. Calvarius from Portugal was captured on the upper reaches of the Isawa River, sent to Sendai and forced to stand in the frozen Hirose River until he died on January 1, 1624. There is a memorial to Juan Goto in the Fukuwara area and many crypto-Christian remains can still be seen there.
Other famous Ōshū residents include:
Saitō Makoto
Saito Makoto
Viscount was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, two-time Governor-General of Korea from 1919 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1931, and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from May 26, 1932 to July 8, 1934.-Early life:...
(1858-1936) Prime Minister of Japan;
Shimpei Goto (1857-1929) Governor of Taiwan, Home Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister;
Takano Choei
Takano Choei
was a prominent scholar of Rangaku of the late Edo period.Chōei was born as Gotō Kyōsai, the third son of Gotō Sōsuke who was a middle ranking samurai in Mizusawa Domain of Mutsu Province which is in present-day Iwate Prefecture...
(1804-1850) Doctor and "Dutch Scholar"