Paleolithic-Feudal eras The area of present-day Morioka has been continuously inhabited since the
Japanese Paleolithic period. Numerous
Jōmon,
Yayoi, and
Kofun period tombs and remains have been found. The
Emishi inhabited the area into the
Heian period. During the
Enryaku era of the Heian period,
Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, was ordered north to
Shiwa Castle in 803 AD, as a military center to extend the domination of the
imperial dynasty over
Mutsu Province. The area was later ruled by the
Abe clan until their destruction during the
Former Nine Years War at the hands of the
Minamoto and
Kiyohara clans. The Kiyohara were in turn defeated in the
Gosannen War and the area came under the control of the
Ōshū Fujiwara Clan based in
Hiraizumi, to the south of Morioka. After the Ōshū Fujiwara were destroyed by
Minamoto no Yoritomo at the start of the
Kamakura period, the area was disputed by several samurai clans until the
Nanbu clan, based in
Sannohe to the north, expanded their territory during the
Sengoku period and built
Kozukata Castle in 1592. Following the
Battle of Sekigahara and the formal recognition of
Morioka Domain under the
Tokugawa shogunate, Kozukata Castle was renamed
Morioka Castle. Its name was changed from to (both read as "Morioka") During the
Boshin War of the
Meiji Restoration, Morioka Domain was a key member of the pro-Tokugawa
Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei.
Modern era After the start of the
Meiji period, the former Morioka Domain became Morioka Prefecture in 1870, and part of Iwate Prefecture from 1872. With the establishment of the modern municipality system on April 1, 1889, the city of Morioka was established as the capital of Iwate Prefecture. The city was connected by train to
Tokyo in 1890. The city emerged from
World War II with very little damage, having been subject to only two minor
air raids during the war. On January 10, 2006, the village of
Tamayama was merged into Morioka. Morioka was proclaimed a
core city in 2008, with increased local autonomy. During the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake, Morioka was hit by a 6.1 earthquake, and numerous aftershocks, but with little damage other than extensive power outages. ==Government==