Morioka Castle — or rather what remains of it — occupies a low hill at the junction of the Kitakami and Nakatsu rivers in the centre of the city. The main keep and towers were demolished after the Meiji Restoration, but the massive stone walls, built in the distinctive nozurazumi technique using rough granite boulders, survive intact and give a clear sense of the castle's former scale.
The grounds are now Koen-koen Park, an excellent place to stroll year-round. The network of walls, moats, and gateways unfolds as you walk, and the views over the river confluence are particularly good from the upper terraces. In late April the park turns pink with some 200 cherry trees flowering simultaneously — this is one of the finest cherry blossom sites in the Tohoku region and the crowds are correspondingly large.