Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture and was founded by Date Masamune, a powerful feudal lord, as a castle town.
Sendai (仙台) is also known as the City of Trees (杜の都,
Mori no Miyako) because prior to the Meiji Restoration it
was encourage for residents to plant trees in their
gardens. The main streets, Aoba Dori and Jozenji Dori,
have rows of zelkova trees. In the Christmas season the
trees are illuminated with lights for the Sendai Pageant of
Starlight event. In the summertime the Sendai Tanabata
Festival is held and it is listed as one of the Three Great
Tohoku Summer Festivals. Millions of people from all
over come to join in the celebration. The tanabata festival
is based on the legend that two star crossed lovers on
opposite sides of the Milky Way will have a chance to
meet if the night is clear.
The city has evidence of being inhabited since the Jomon
period, but its establishment can be traced to Date
Masamune. The Date Clan gained control of the land
under the leadership of Date Masamune of the Sendai
domain. The Date Clan continued to rule the Mutsu
Province until their loyalty went to the Tokugawa
Shogunate when the Toyotomi Clan fell. After the Battle
of Sekigahara Tokugawa Ieyasu gave Date Masamune
permission to build a castle in the area that is known as
Sendai. In 1600, construction began on the castle and
one year later the city’s foundations were being laid out.
With Sendai as the new capital of the Mutsu Province,
Masamune decided to fund an expedition to create a
relationship with Pope Paul V. In 1613, the Spanish style
galleon, San Juan Bautista, embarked with Hasekura
Tsunenaga, a retainer of Date Masamune, and crossed
the Pacific Ocean to Mexico. It set sail from there to
Madrid and Rome, which made the delegation on the
ship the first Japanese to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Unfortunately, the mission failed in establishing relations
with the Pope and the crew returned to Japan, while
making stops in Spain and Philippines. The journey had
taken seven years to complete is one of the many
accomplishments of the Sendai Domain.
The city acts as a major area for federal administrative
agencies, but it is dependent on out port shipping from
Shiogama. After the bombings from World War II many of
old buildings in Sendai were destroyed, which includes
the Zuihoden Mausoleum where Date Masamune and
other clan leaders are entombed. Even Aoba Castle,
which survived the anti-feudal fervor of the Meiji
Restoration, was destroyed leaving only remnants of an
outer wall and guard tower on the grounds. Sendai made
an effort to restore the damaged buildings, which were
successful, but they added a few modern modifications in
the area. In the Aoba Castle area, they added the Sendai
City Museum that showcases items from their 90,000
artifacts collection where many of the pieces were
donated by the Date family. The large collection of
artifacts allows the museum the opportunity to change
their exhibits based on the season.
Tohoku | Miyagi | Sendai
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is one of the Three Great Summer Festivals in Tohoku and draws a couple of million people to the event.
Tohoku | Miyagi | Sendai
Aoba Castle
Aoba Castle was built by Date Masamune, a powerful feudal lord, after making considerations for defensive strategies.
Tohoku | Miyagi | Sendai
Zuihoden Mausoleum
Zuihoden Mausoleum is where Date Masamune, a famous daimyo, is entombed and is built using the elaborate Momoyama style.