The former Bank of Iwate building, completed in 1911, is the most striking piece of Meiji-era architecture in Morioka. Its red brick exterior, with elaborate stone dressings, a central dome, and a corner turret, stands in conspicuous contrast to the modern city around it. The style is sometimes called Tatsuno-Kingo Gothic, after its designer's fondness for mixing Renaissance proportions with Gothic decorative detail.
The building is now preserved as a cultural facility and is open to visitors. Inside, the original banking hall with its high ceilings and ornate ironwork gives a sense of the ambition of Meiji-period Morioka. The building sits in the old Zaimoku-cho merchant district, a short walk from the castle ruins, and is the anchor of a small concentration of historic buildings worth exploring on foot.