Did the God of Fortune really exist? The Legend of Sendai Shiro! [Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture]

Did you know that there was once a god of fortune in Sendai? His name was "Sendai Shiro"

Even today, there is a constant stream of stores displaying his photographs in the hope of sharing in his blessings. What kind of person was he, and what kind of happiness has he brought to them?

---

The personality of Sendai Shiro

Sendai Shiro is said to have been born in the late Edo period as the fourth son of the Haga family, gunsmiths of the Sendai domain, who resided in an area called "Yagurashita" in what is now the central part of Sendai City, near the Aoba Ward Office. For this reason , he was also known as " Yagurashita Shiro " at the time

At the age of seven, he fell into the Hirose River and lost consciousness, after which his intellectual development was delayed, but because of his kind personality, everyone loved him and he was given food at the stores he visited

Sendai Shiro, who wandered around the city every day and loved to make people happy, would sweep the area in front of a store whenever he saw a broom leaning against it, and when he found a bucket and ladle full of water, he would even start sprinkling water on the store

At some point, rumors began to spread that the stores where Shiro cleaned and watered suddenly saw a boom in business

Because of this, it is said that Sendai Shiro came to be revered by everyone as a "living god of fortune."

He was also known for being a railway enthusiast, and when Sendai Station on the Tohoku Main Line opened in 1887, he visited the station almost every day, and after receiving tickets from people, he traveled by train to Shiroishi City, Fukushima Prefecture, and Yamagata Prefecture

---

The happiness that Sendai Shiro brings

It is said that the stores that Sendai Shiro visited prospered, while there is also a legend that stores that bullied Sendai Shiro went into decline

Sendai Shiro had an honest personality, but he would not go to a restaurant he did not like, no matter how warmly he was invited. It can be seen as him choosing to visit restaurants that were honest businesses, without ulterior motives or ambition. Perhaps Sendai Shiro's ability was to bring happiness to people who made efforts for others

The beloved Sendai Shiro is said to have died at the age of 47 in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture around 1902 (Meiji 35). However, nothing is known for certain, and even though he was famous at the time, his gravesite is unknown

Moreoverthere were sightings of him even in the Showa era, so he might have really been a god.

Since then, it has been passed down in Sendai as a symbol of good fortune

At Mitakiyama Fudōin , located in Chris Road, an arcade shopping street in downtown Sendai, Sendai Shiro is enshrined alongside the temple, despite it being a temple.

Perhaps Sendai Shiro is still strolling around the shopping district, hoping that happiness will be brought equally to all the stores in the district

Sendai Shiro goods are sold at souvenir shops throughout Sendai. Among them, the bromide is a popular souvenir among businessmen as a talisman for prosperity in business

It might make a great gift as a souvenir from Sendai!

Sendai Shiro <Information>

• Name: Sendai Shiro (Mitakiyama Fudoin)
• Address: 2-5-7 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (Mitakiyama Fudoin Temple)
• Phone number: 022-221-3056 (Mitakiyama Fudoin Temple)
• Official URL:http://www.mitakisan.com/shiro.html

Google Map

---