Sendai Castle

History

Date Masamune received increased lands around Sendai for giving his support to Tokugawa in the Battle of Sekigahara. Sendai Castle never had a large main keep like many castles of this time period. There are various theories why and some proof that there were plans to build a large 5 story keep though it was never carried out. Even without a large main keep it was still an impressive castle with three 3 story yagura and a great honmaru palace. Date Tadamune added the Ninomaru after he became lord of Sendai.

After the Boshin War, the honmaru was torn down. During a fire in 1882 most of the ninomaru was burned to the ground and the remaining buildings of the castle were destroyed during the bombings of WWII.

Date Masamune is one of the most interesting figures of his time period. Known as the "One Eyed Dragon" (he lost the use of his right eye to smallpox), he was feared by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and later became a deputy Shogun in the Tokugawa regime. Masamune actively promoted culture and industry. He built the Osaki Hachiman Shrine in Sendai and the Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima. He organized improvements to the rivers, forests and transformed the Osaki plain into a fertile rice field. Masamune also built a ship and dispatched his own men including Hasekura Tsunenaga to the Pope in Rome. Masamune was one of the most intelligent daimyo of his time.

Visit Notes

The otemon guardhouse in the picture above is a fair distance (10+ minute walk) from the honmaru and museum. Either find it on a map or ask for directions at the museum. I recommend taking the sightseeing bus to the main castle gate, visit the museum and grounds and then walk downhill towards this guardhouse. Then you can get back on the sightseeing bus from the nearby Sendai City Museum. The bus leaving the castle grounds tends to be very full and you may not get on easily from there.

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Gallery

• 

  yagura next to otemon gate
• 

  otemon model
• 

  stone wall of honmaru
• 

  model of tsumemon gate
• 

  honmaru stone walls
• 

  honmaru stone walls
• 

  stone walls
• 

  statue of Date Masamune
• 

  view form the honmaru
• 

  map

Castle Profile
English Name	Sendai Castle
Japanese Name	仙台城
Alternate Names	Aoba-jo
Founder	Date Masamune
Year Founded	1600
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Top 100 Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	turrets, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Sendai Station (Tohoku main line), 15 minutes by bus
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.sendaijyo.com
Location	Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Coordinates	38° 15' 9.58" N, 140° 51' 21.10" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2003
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2003, 2010
Admin Visits	September 12, 2003; May 22, 2010

2.76

(29 votes)

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RaymondWDaimyo

31 months ago

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A section of the Honmaru stone wall has collapsed after the M7.4 earthquake late last night (16th March).

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ARTShogun

93 months ago

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I heard that Sendai in the Edo Period was big on forest agriculture and many people had trees planted in their backyards.

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FurinkazanDaimyo

114 months ago

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I went to this site today. The works are apparently done, because i didn't saw any. I took the Loople Sendai bus with a 1-day pass. With the pass you have some reductions at some sites. I visited first the Zuihoden mauseleum. After that i went directly to the castle. The route of the loople bus changed a little bit, but it still has a stop at the honmaru, but at the foot of the ishigaki. There is indeed not a lot to see, appart from the statue of Date Masamune. The Aoba-castle museum was open, but there isn't a lot to see. The fee is normally 700¥, but with the pass it's 500¥. You may take photos, but without flash. Then i went to the Sendai City museum. This museum was more interesting i found, with a lot of english explanations. Then i walked to the Waki-yagura. I realised that i missed the last loople bus and went to a city busstop. When the bus arrived, it was full. I walked to the station. It's about 3 km from the castle-site. My hotel is in the vicinity of the station.

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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

130 months ago

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Kei, Thanks for visiting and sharing the information. It's great to see progress is underway with a completion in sight!

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RebolforcesAshigaru

140 months ago

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Visited today. Followed in the instructions on leaving via City Museum. Good advice. Lots of road works on the way up. One section of wall still under tarpaulins and in repair. But all walls where the Castle Museum sits are intact and impressively curved.

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Frank T.Gunshi

158 months ago

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The view of the town is great, and I enjoyed riding around the area, but there's really not much to see of the original site aside from walls, large as they may be. If you're going to Sendai, by all means visit this site. Otherwise, there are other places more worthwhile.

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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

163 months ago

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I have a few notes on the following page about reconstruction efforts that I know of. If anyone has something to add please let me know. The regulations about rebuilding historical sites are much more strict than in the past so there will probably be fewer reconstructions now, but they will be of better quality.

http://www.j...tion-Repairs

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Anonymous user #1

164 months ago

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Visited this castle at night and there is basically just ruins there and a museum, which of course was not open. There is a great view of the city and also a great statue of Date Masamune

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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

166 months ago

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Thanks it's fixed. Links to external sites are so hard to keep updated.

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Anonymous user #1

166 months ago

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BTW, link comes up 404. Not Found

The requested URL /kankokoryu/pointnojoho/point7.html was not found on this server.

Try http://www.s...0000002.html for info in English.

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Anonymous user #1

166 months ago

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A person I knew from Sendai told me I wouldn't see any snow in March; my train pulled into the station as snowflakes started falling and although it was only a small snowfall I had the joy of being able to show photos of the stone walls of Aoba-jo harboring patches of snow in their shadows. The statue of Date Masamune was quite hard to photograph in the afternoon sun but there were great views and I was happy to finally see it with my own eyes. (I used to sing 'Aoba-jo koiuta' at karaoke just to see that statue). If you are in the area you should also see brightly-painted Zuihoden, Date's Mausoleum, on the adjacent hillside. I also went to Matsushima and Zuiganji, the museum has many items belong to the Date clan. I didn't have so much time because I was using 18-kippu; I'm planning on going there again with my brother. I went a while ago so it should be interesting to see how it has changed seeing as Masamune is more popular and marketable than ever.

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Anonymous user #1

167 months ago

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If you are driving through Sendai, it is worth a quick stop. Small castle.

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Anonymous user #1

169 months ago

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The view from the castle grounds is simply magnificent! I wish the castle could be reconstructed as it was originally built one day, though it would be a really tough task to do. But I'm glad they didn't carry out their initial plan of \reconstructing"the yagura that has never been there in the first place. Kudos to all the people who struggled against that plan and to the people who did the fine job on excavations and restoration of the castle walls."""

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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

174 months ago

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A famous Edo Period castle with a huge stone wall

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