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

The statue of Date Masamune on horseback is a symbol of Sendai, having watched over the city of trees from Mt. Aoba for many years

In March 2022, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures were hit by an earthquake that recorded a seismic intensity of 6+, causing serious damage

Unfortunately, it has now left Sendai and is currently undergoing restoration in Tokyo, so it is no longer possible to see it in person, but it has been announced that restoration will finally be completed in late March 2023

History of the Equestrian Statue

The statue of Date Masamune on horseback was conceived by the Miyagi Prefecture Youth Association and others as a commemorative project for the 300th anniversary of the death of Date Masamune, and was completed in 1935 after two years of work by sculptor Tatsu Komuro, who was born in Shibata Town

However, in 1944, during World War II, it disappeared as a metal donation

The current second-generation equestrian statue was completed in 1964 based on a plaster prototype that fortunately survived after the war

The second-generation equestrian statue, which has survived major earthquake disasters such as the 1978 Miyagi Prefecture offshore earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, suffered serious damage in the March 2022 Fukushima Prefecture offshore earthquake, breaking the horse's left front leg and right hind leg and causing the entire statue to tilt to the right

In addition to the equestrian statue, the earthquake also caused major damage to the entire Sendai Castle site, with part of the castle's stone wall collapsing and roads being closed

The whereabouts of the first equestrian statue

By the way, the first equestrian statue that was donated was miraculously discovered after the war in a metal collection site on the grounds of Tohoku Dock in Shiogama City

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

Local historian Ishikawa Kengo worked hard to raise funds to recover the statue, but due to the chaotic situation immediately after the war, fundraising was difficult

Meanwhile, all parts of the body except the upper body are disposed of

However, the upper half of the body was still carefully preserved, so Mr. Ishikawa used his own money to purchase it and donated it to Aoba Shrine

When the Sendai City Museum opened in 1961, it was donated to the museum by Aoba Shrine and became a mirror image, which remains to this day

This has been a long story, but the mirror image of Date Masamune at the Sendai City Museum is actually the original equestrian statue

Unfortunately, the Sendai City Museum is currently undergoing major renovations until April 2024, so the bust cannot be seen at present, but some of the museum's collection will be exhibited at the Miyagi Museum of Art in conjunction with the 40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair

About restoration

The damaged equestrian statue was detached from its base and sent to a restoration company in Tokyo in July 2022 for full-scale restoration work

Upon closer inspection at the Tokyo workshop, it was discovered that the horse's body had also been cracked, revealing that the damage was more severe than initially thought

Because the equestrian statue was a donation, there were no blueprints, so the horse's rump had to be cut open to check the internal structure and to see the damage in more detail

Nearly 60 years have passed since the equestrian statue was completed, and the iron pillars supporting the statue have corroded, and parts of the inside of the statue itself have also been found to be corroded

Currently, the corroded pillars are being replaced with new stainless steel ones and the main body is being maintained. As mentioned above, there are no blueprints, so the preservation and restoration team is carefully proceeding with the work by understanding the internal structure through tapping sounds and other methods, while exploring the structure

The restoration period was initially expected to take around two years, but has been brought forward to coincide with the 40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair to be held in April 2023, and is now expected to be completed at the end of March

40th National Urban Greening Sendai Fair (Future Forest 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 contributing to the creation of green, vibrant cities by raising awareness and spreading knowledge about urban greening. This will be the first time the fair has been held in Sendai in 34 years, since the '89 Green Fair Sendai was held in 1989

The three main venues are the Oimawari area of ​​Aobayama Park, the south side area of ​​Nishi Park, and the Hirosegawa area. In addition to the main venues, there will also be a downtown area venue and an eastern area venue, and various fairs and events will be held at each venue during the period

The beautifully colored "large flowerbed" at the main venue, a symbol of the Sendai Fair, is a photogenic spot that conveys the charm of the fair and was created with the participation of children and local residents

Other programs include programs that allow visitors to experience nature while playing, and workshops themed around plant observation. Each area will have its own concept, offering a variety of spaces, including a "Green Active Zone" where children can play freely, and a "Waterside Zone" where visitors can enjoy a meal on a garden terrace surrounded by flowers and greenery while overlooking Aobayama, the ruins of Sendai Castle, Ohashi Bridge, and the Hirose River

Event data

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Event period

54 days from Wednesday, April 26th to Sunday, June 18th, 2023

venue

• Main venues (Aobayama Park Oimawari area, Nishi Park south area, Hirosegawa area)
• Downtown area venues (Sendai Station pedestrian deck, Aoba-dori, Miyagino-dori, Jozenji-dori)
• Eastern Area Venues (Sendai Agricultural and Horticultural Center Midori no Mori, Sendai 3.11 Memorial Community Center, Earthquake Relics, Sendai Municipal Arahama Elementary School, Seaside Park, Takasago Central Park (Sendai Uminomori Aquarium))
• Affiliated venues (Tohoku University Academic Resource Research Center Botanical Garden, Nanakita Park, Sendai City Wildflower Garden, Yagiyama Zoo Fujisaki no Mori)

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summary

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

Why not visit this place when you go to see the new equestrian statue?

INFORMATION

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• Name: Sendai Castle Ruins
• Address: 1 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0862
• Opening hours: Free entry *Aoba Castle Museum: April to October 9:00-16:20 (last admission 15:50) November to March 9:00-15:40 (last admission 15:10)
• Closed: None

GOOGLE MAP

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