Morioka, the birthplace of modern mechanical Grand Seiko
Originally posted on September 2019
Let’s discover Morioka together, the capital city of Iwate prefecture, where mechanical Grand Seiko are manufactured.
Iwate prefecture is one of the six prefectures of the Tōhoku region, which lies to the northeast of the island of Honshu, Japan's main island. It's a rural, mountainous region, sadly known for the terrible earthquake off its coast, followed by the terrible tsunami that hit Fukushima in 2011.
But it's also a region known for some of the world's greatest snowfalls and hot springs. Its wild nature, well-developed crafts and rich history make this region a very interesting destination for discovering another facet of Japan, easily accessible by Shinkansen from Tokyo.
The prefecture and its capital city are dominated by the imposing Mount Iwate, another source of inspiration for Grand Seiko, which we'll talk about in a dedicated article.
The city is also known as the birthplace of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi where mechanical Grand Seiko watches are assembled. Shizukuishi is a small town on the outskirts of Morioka with a population of 17,000 and is best known for its ski resort, but also for a different reason now thanks to GS enthusiasts!
I'd like to introduce you to the town of Morioka through its famous summer festival, a purely Japanese attraction, a gastronomic specialty and its village of craftsmen.
Sansa Odori
Summer in Japan is synonymous with festivals, or matsuri in Japanese. The town of Morioka hosts the Sansa Odori festival, one of the five major festivals in the Iwate region, which takes place from August 1st to 4th each year.
Many years ago, a demon - or oni in Japanese - by the name of Rasetsu terrorized the people of the Morioka region. Distraught by the situation, the inhabitants turned to a local deity, Mitsuishi-kami (kami meaning god in Japanese), praying that he would free them from the demon. Mitsuishi-kami caught Rasetsu and made him swear to leave the inhabitants alone. As a proof of his pledge, Rasetsu left a handprint on one of the rocks of the Mitsuishi Shrine.
Les rochers du Sanctuaire Mitsuishi
The villagers were so happy that they began to dance, singing “Sansa! Sansa!”. This is the origin of the Sansa Odori festival and its traditional dances. It was also this legend that gave its name to the prefecture of Iwate or 岩手, whose name is made up of the kanji 岩 for stone and 手 for hand.
Today, Sansa Odori is best known for being the largest festival of Taiko, the traditional Japanese drums, and even the largest percussion gathering in the world, with 3,437 drums gathered at the 2014 matsuri.
Every year, over 10,000 dancers and percussionists parade through the streets of Morioka, and passers-by can even take part in the parade and traditional dances.
Ishiwari Zakura
石割桜 or Ishiwarizakura is another of Morioka's attractions. It's a very strong symbol for the Japanese who pass by Morioka Court, since it's a 360-year-old cherry tree that grew by splitting a huge boulder in half. Its name in Japanese simply means “The rock-breaking cherry tree”.
The cherry tree being one of Japan's most important symbols, and the Japanese being renowned for their pride and determination - values stemming from Bushido, the way of the warrior - it's easy to see how this rock-breaking cherry tree is a very important symbol for them.
Source: http://tabikabe.jp
Wankosoba
Like France, each region of Japan has its own culinary specialties. While the Tōhoku region is known for the sake produced from its particularly pure water, the town of Morioka is more particularly known for a particular type of noodle.
Soba are buckwheat noodles that can be eaten hot or cold. Just like Italian pasta, there are many soba-based specialties. What makes wankosoba so special is not the recipe for these noodles, but the way they are eaten.
When you sit down at a wankosoba restaurant in the streets of Morioka, you're not about to eat a meal like any other, but you're engaging in a challenge of your own, a challenge between you and your waitress. Noodles are served in small bowls that hold no more than a mouthful of noodle, but as soon as your bowl is empty, your waitress immediately refills it with the contents of another bowl. The aim of the game is to eat as many bowls as possible. Once your stomach is full, a second challenge awaits: you have to manage to cover your bowl with its lid before the waitress fills it up again! The average adult eats between 50 and 60 bowls. For the hungriest, the record is 570 bowls!
Chris Broad from the YouTube channel AbroadInJapan faces the Wankosoba challenge !
Tezukuri-Mura
Finally, the Iwate region is known for its various crafts, such as Urushi lacquerware or Iwashu, the cast-iron Nambu Tekki teapots, Nambu being the region's ancient name.
Seiko and Grand Seiko have made no mistake in developing urushi lacquer dials, since urushi lacquer is one of the region's strongest symbols.
To showcase local crafts and boost tourism in a region recently devastated by natural disasters, the town has opened the Morioka Handicrafts Village or Tezukuri-Mura, where you can discover some fifteen specialties and even try your hand at them. Just 1km from the famous Shizukuishi Watch Studio, you can discover the work of local artists.
To understand the inspiration of the people who create the mechanical Grand Seiko we love so much, it's important to know and understand where they come from and what surrounds them. The Tōhoku region is particularly developing its tourism in order to revive its economy after the tragic 2011 earthquake, so this is an opportunity to discover local culture and history, and to discover a very different side of Japan, off the beaten track. Discovering Morioka gives you a better understanding of the approach to watchmaking developed by the craftsmen of the Shizukuishi Watch Studio and their various sources of inspiration, also off the beaten track. So, if you get the chance, don't hesitate to discover this magnificent region of Japan, and who knows, you might even find a few watches there...
