Morioka: Celebrating a Culture of People and Horses

Morioka developed as a castle town, the seat of the powerful Nanbu clan during the Edo Period [17th-19th centuries]. Even today, the city has many areas of historical interest, with numerous temples and traditional merchant houses that have survived. Every year in early summer, a very distinctive event is held in Morioka. Called the Chagu Chagu Umako festival, it originated as an expression of appreciation for the hard work done by farm horses. As many as 100 horses take part in a parade through the streets, adorned with colorful costumes and numerous jingling bells. The close relationship between farmers and their horses led to the development of traditional farmhouses known as Nanbu magariya. These houses have two wings, one for the people and the other for the horses, so they can all live under the same roof. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, Dean Newcombe visits a farmhouse where the horse is treated almost like a member of the family. He discovers the distinctive culture that has grown up from this close connection with horses. Dean also samples the local specialties. He visits three restaurants to try the three different styles of noodles: wanko soba; Morioka reimen; and Morioka jajamen. He also finds out how these popular dishes that have such different cultural backgrounds became famous as local specialties.