Hienuki

Hienuki lies in the Kitakami River valley of northern Mutsu. The local Hienuki family ruled from a castle at Toriyagasaki until Toyotomi Hideyoshi dispossessed them in 1590. The Nanbu then took the district and remodelled the stronghold as Hanamaki Castle, strengthening its earthworks and adding stone walls. A town grew beneath it, later serving travellers and domain lords on the northern highway.