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Jujiro Nitobe(1820-1867)

  Jujiro Nitobe, Tsuto's eldest son, was born in Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture.  From an early age, Jujiro showed a strong intellect.  At the age of 22, he was appointed a secretary of the clan.  After several years, his gift for battle strategy and tactics was recognized, and he was invited to study those subjects with the head of the Nanbu Clan, Toshihisa Nanbu.  For a young man of his time, this invitation was a great honor.

  At his father's request and with the clan's approval, Jujiro joined his father to work on the Sanbongi Reclamation Project.  In addition to helping with the construction of the canal, Jujiro planned the new city -- Inaoi Town -- with streets to be laid on a grid as in Kyoto.  The shrine and three temples he constructed (Inari Shrine, Rinenji Temple, and Chogetsuji Temple) still stand in Towada today.  Jujiro also wrote Sanbongi-tai Kaigyo no Ki, a brochure promoting the area and its commercial potential.

   In 1866 (Keiou 2), Jujiro planned and began construction of Phase 2 of the Sanbongi Reclamation Project -- to draw water through a second source from the Oirase River.  However, in 1867 (Keiou 3), Jujiro died at the age of 47, and construction of the second source of water came to a halt.

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1F- the Sanbongi Plateau Reclamation Corner

This statute of Jujiro, created by Kosaka Keiji, is displayed at Taisozuka.
There are no photographs of Jujiro as he died before photography became popular in Japan.