Article

02412 ／おいらせちょう

Aomori Prefecture 上北郡

Oirase Town

Over 100 kofun mounds from the 7th–9th century.

Akobo Kofun, late-period mounds

Photo by MChew (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Kehi Shrine ema market

Buy an ema, and the stall paintsyour cattle's or horse's fine traits on it.

The prefecture writes that Kehi Shrine in Kamikubo has long been known as a center of faith in the horse-guardian deity. At the ema market of its annual festival, buyers have the traits of their own cattle or horses painted on a paper ema, have it blessed at the shrine, and hang it in the stable. The custom was selected by the nation in 2009.

Selected by the nation in 2009
Traits of the animal painted on a paper ema
Hung in the stable or cowshed at home

02 ／ Negishi Great Ginkgo

Estimated at 1,000 years old, the great ginkgois said to have grown from Ennin's branch.

The Negishi Great Ginkgo in Higashishimoyachi is a prefectural natural monument (designated 1994). The prefecture gives its estimated age as 1,000 years, height about 33 m and trunk girth 14.1 m. A legend says a ginkgo branch Ennin carried on a pilgrimage through the Oshu region took root in the ground.

Prefectural natural monument (1994)
Estimated age 1,000 years
Trunk girth 14.1 m

03 ／ Higakubo Tiger Dance

Led by a child guide, the tiger dancesahead of the floats at the Momoishi Festival.

The town writes that Higakubo's tiger dance is said to be the northernmost on Honshu among tiger dances found from Miyagi along the prefecture's Pacific side. Revered as a guardian of fishermen, it is led by a child guide with a sasara in September's Momoishi Festival and clears the way ahead of the floats. It is a town intangible cultural property.

Town intangible cultural property
Leads the floats at the September Momoishi Festival
Revered as a guardian of fishermen

Oirase Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot April 2024)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

In 2006, Momoishi and Shimoda joined.

about 20,000 people
Rural district town

Formed on March 1, 2006 by the merger of Momoishi Town and Shimoda Town, it lies in the southeast of Aomori Prefecture. It sits on a plateau sloping from west to east toward the Pacific, and south of it the Oirase River, which rises at Lake Towada, flows into the Pacific.

People living here: 24,273people
Area: 71.96km²
Households: 9,258households
Rent (average for rentals): 51,529yen
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 10 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —12 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Oirase Town in Japan40.599°N 141.398°E

Territory of Oirase Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

10.3km

Rokunohe Town, Misawa City, Gonohe Town, Hachinohe City

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Oirase Town isthis kind of town.

01The Akobo Kofun Cluster is a national historic site on a river terrace on the lower left bank of the Oirase River, built from the early 7th century to the end of the 9th; 108 kofun with ditches and 8 without have been found, and they are thought to be graves of people called Emishi
02The ema market at Kehi Shrine in Kamikubo, held with its annual festival, is a custom of having the traits of one's cattle or horses painted on an ema, and it was selected by the nation; the Negishi Great Ginkgo in Higashishimoyachi is a prefectural natural monument said to have grown from Ennin's branch
03The Higakubo tiger dance, a town intangible cultural property, clears the way ahead of the floats at the Momoishi Festival, and Oirase Town was formed in 2006 by the merger of Momoishi Town and Shimoda Town

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Oirase Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗