[Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture] Restoration of the damaged Date Masamune equestrian statue is scheduled to be completed in late March

The equestrian statue of Date Masamune is the symbol of Sendai, which has watched over the City of Mori for many years from Aobayama.

In March 2022, both Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures were affected by an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher, resulting in severe damage.

Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to see it as it is currently undergoing restoration in Tokyo, but it has been announced that the restoration will be completed in late March 2023.

History of equestrian statues

The Date Masamune equestrian statue was proposed by the Miyagi Prefecture Youth Association as a commemorative project to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Date Masamune's death, and was completed in 1935 after two years of work by Komuro, a sculptor from Shibata Town. .

However, in 1944, during World War II, it disappeared due to metal exports.

The current second equestrian statue was completed in 1964 based on the plaster model that was fortunately preserved after the war.

The second generation of equestrian statues survived large-scale earthquake disasters such as the 1978 Miyagi Prefecture-Oki Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The legs were broken and the entire statue was severely damaged, tilting to the right.

In addition to the equestrian statue, part of the stone wall of the Sendai Castle ruins also collapsed during the earthquake, and the entire Sendai Castle ruins suffered major damage, including road closures.

Whereabouts of the first equestrian statue?

By the way, the first equestrian statue donated was miraculously discovered after the war in a metal dump on the grounds of Tohoku Dog in Shiogama City.

At this time, the equestrian statue had been torn apart, but all parts were still intact and had not yet been melted down.

Kengo Ishikawa, a local historian, worked hard to raise funds to recover the equestrian statue, but it was difficult to raise funds due to the chaotic period immediately after the war.

In the meantime, the parts other than the upper body will be disposed of.

However, the upper body was still carefully preserved, so Mr. Ishikawa spent his own money to purchase this upper body and dedicate it to Aoba Shrine.

In 1961, when the Sendai City Museum opened, it was donated to the museum from Aoba Shrine, where it remains as a mirror image.

It's a long story, but the mirror image of Date Masamune in the Sendai City Museum was actually the first equestrian statue.

Unfortunately, the Sendai City Museum is currently undergoing major renovations until April 2024, so you cannot currently view the bust, but some of the items in the collection will be exhibited at the Miyagi Prefectural Museum of Art in conjunction with the 40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair. It is said that it will be done.

About restoration

The damaged equestrian statue was separated from its pedestal and sent to a restorer in Tokyo for full-scale restoration work in July 2022.

Upon closer inspection at the Tokyo workshop, it was discovered that the horse's body was also cracked, and it became clear that the damage was greater than originally anticipated.

Because the equestrian statue was a gift, there were no blueprints, so it was decided to cut open the horse's waist to confirm the internal structure and more detailed damage.

Approximately 60 years have passed since the equestrian statue was completed, and the iron pillars that support it have been corroded inside, and parts of the statue itself have also been found to be corroded.

Currently, the corroded columns are being replaced with new stainless steel columns and maintenance work is being carried out on the main body.As mentioned above, there are no blueprints, so the preservation and restoration efforts are underway to ascertain the internal structure by listening to the sounds of hammering and exploring the structure. It seems that the work is proceeding carefully.

The restoration period was originally expected to be about two years, but it has been moved forward to coincide with the 40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair to be held in April 2023, and the restoration is expected to be completed by the end of March.

40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair (Mirai no Mori Sendai 2023-Feel green!-)

The 40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair will be held from April 26th to June 18th, 2023.

The National Urban Greening Fair is held with the aim of raising awareness and disseminating knowledge about urban greening, thereby contributing to the creation of a green and fulfilling city. This is the first time in 34 years since the Green Fair Sendai was held.

The three main venues are the Oiwari area of ​​Aobayama Park, the south side area of ​​Nishi Park, and the Hirosegawa area.In addition to the main venue, there are also venues in the machinaka area and eastern area, and various fairs will be held at each venue during the period. An event will be held.

The beautiful and colorful large flower bed, which is the symbol of the Sendai Fair, located at the main venue, is a photogenic spot that showcases the charm of the fair and was created with the participation of children and citizens.

In addition to holding programs where you can experience nature while having fun and workshops with themes such as plant observation, there is also a Green Active Zone where children can play freely, Aobayama where the Sendai Castle ruins are, Area concepts have been set for each district, and various spaces are provided, such as the ``Waterside Zone,'' where you can enjoy meals on a garden terrace surrounded by flowers and greenery while overlooking the Ohashi Bridge and the Hirose River.

Event data

Event period

54 days from Wednesday, April 26, 2020 to Sunday, June 18, 2020

venue

• Main venue (Aobayama Park Oimawari district, Nishi Park south side district, Hirosegawa district)
• Machinaka area venue (Sendai Station Pedestrian Deck, Aoba Dori, Miyagino Dori, Jozenji Dori)
• Eastern Area Venues (Sendai Agriculture and Horticulture Center Midori-no-Mori, Sendai 3.11 Memorial Exchange Hall, Earthquake Remains of Sendai City Arahama Elementary School, Coastal Park, Takasago Central Park (Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium))
• Collaborative venues (Tohoku University Academic Resource Research Open Center Botanical Garden, Nanakita Park, Sendai City Wildflower Garden, Yagiyama Zoological Park Fujisaki no Mori)

summary

The 40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair is one of the largest events to be held in Sendai in 2023.

When you go to see the new equestrian statue, why not come along with us?

INFORMATION

• Name: Sendai Castle Ruins
• Address: 1 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0862
• Business Hours: Free admission *Aoba Castle Materials Exhibition Hall is open from April to October 9:00 to 16:20 (Registration closes at 15:50) November to March 9:00 to 15:40 (Registration closes at 15:10) )
• Closed: None

GOOGLE MAP