[Difficult to read place names] How do you read them? Hachinohe is not pronounced "Hatto"[Difficult to read place names] How do you read them? Hachinohe is not pronounced "Hatto"

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2026.2.8

[Difficult to read place name] How do you read it? Hachinohe, famous for its rice cracker soup, is not pronounced "Hatto"

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Hachinohe is located in the southeastern part of Aomori Prefecture (on the Pacific coast).Cities located inIt is located southeast of Aomori City and borders Iwate Prefecture. It has the third largest population in the prefecture after Aomori City and Hirosaki City.

 






From southern Aomori Prefecture to northern Iwate Prefecture, you will come across a series of strange place names, such as "Ichinohe," "Ninohe," and "Mitohe." The "nohe" that these names all have in common was originally a word indicating a settlement or administrative unit, and is thought to have been formed during the Heian period under the ruling system of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who were based in Hiraizumi.







The place names remaining in northern Tohoku, from "Ichinohe" to "Kunohe," are said to have been established under the rule of the Oshu Fujiwara clan during the Heian period, and some say they were horse ranches and bases for controlling the Emishi. They still extend into Iwate and Aomori prefectures, but no one remains but Shinohe.









Hachinohe

 

 

HachinoheAnd"To Hachinohe"History and traditions still live on in Hachinohe, including the legend of Minamoto no Yoshitsune heading north, known as the "Legend of Yoshitsune's Northward Journey."












Learn about difficult-to-read place names in Japan
Difficult to read place names are engraved with the local language, culture, and history of coexistence with nature. Knowing the origin of the name can make the scenery of your travel destination look a little different. That is the mysterious charm of difficult to read place names. Unraveling place names is like tracing the memories of the place. Learning the hidden meaning behind the characters leads to learning the depth of the story the place name tells.

 

 






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