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Date Masamune Equestrian Statue

Aoba Castle? Sendai Castle? Introducing the base of the Sendai domain built by Date Masamune!

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Located about 12 minutes by car from Sendai Station,
on Aobayama Hill, which offers a panoramic view of the city, stood a castle that once ruled Sendai.
This castle, known as Aoba Castle and built by Date Masamune, continues to be cherished by the local people even after its disappearance.

Now, the site where Aoba Castle once stood is famous as one of Sendai City's leading tourist attractions.
This article will introduce Aoba Castle.

Aoba Castle? Sendai Castle? Which is correct?

If you visit Aobayama Park, located on the site of Aoba Castle, you'll see names like the Aoba Castle Exhibition Hall and the Aoba Castle Honmaru Hall.
It's natural that these facilities, being related to Aoba Castle, would bear the name.
However, there's also a building called the Sendai Castle Observation Hall.
What's the meaning of this?

Furthermore, the title of the CG corner you can experience inside the Aoba Castle Exhibition Hall also includes the name "Sendai Castle."
This means that there are two names for the same castle: "Aoba Castle" and "Sendai Castle."
Which name is correct, "Aoba Castle" or "Sendai Castle"?

The official name of Aoba Castle is "Sendai Castle.
" The name "Aoba Castle" is an elegant nickname for Sendai Castle. It was given as a kind of nickname because it was built on Aoba Mountain.
In Sendai, the elegant name Aoba Castle had long been more familiar than Sendai Castle, but since it was registered as a historical site "Sendai Castle Ruins" in 2003, the name Sendai Castle has also become more widely known, mainly through the media.
Incidentally, Sendai Castle also has the alternative name Gojōrō, derived from a line in the Tang Dynasty poetry collection "Tōdai Sen'yūkan," which is the origin of the name Sendai, that says "Sendai chūken Gojōrō."

What is there at Aoba Castle Ruins?

Aoba Castle Ruins is home to various facilities that offer a glimpse into Sendai's past, as well as souvenir shops and restaurants.
This section will introduce some of the facilities located within Aoba Castle Ruins.

Aoba Castle Exhibition Museum

As the name suggests, this museum displays materials related to Aoba Castle.
The permanent exhibition mainly introduces the life of Date Masamune.
Actual materials and models related to the Date family, the Sendai Domain, and Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle) are also on display, making it a must-see for history buffs!

Using a 100-inch large monitor that can be operated with a touch panel, you can view the third installment, "Virtual Sendai - The Revived Sendai Castle and Castle Town," in CG.
Not only Sendai Castle and its castle town, but also the residences of Katakura Kojuro, the Mizusawa Date family, and the Tome Date family have been restored in CG, and you can freely explore some of them on the screen using the touch panel, allowing you to experience what it was like to live as a resident of the Sendai domain during the Edo period.

Date Masamune Equestrian Statue

Previously, when people mentioned the Date Masamune statue in Sendai, they were referring to the one located inside Sendai Station, but now the only place in Sendai where you can see a statue of Masamune on horseback is at the Aoba Castle ruins

The current bronze statue was built in 1962, and the previous concrete statue was moved to Iwadeyama Castle

Statue of Bansui Doi

This is a statue of Doi Bansui, a composer from Sendai who composed "Kojo no Tsuki."

In front of his statue, his signature song "Kojo no Tsuki" is played automatically once a month between 9:00 and 18:00

Sendai Castle Museum

This facility was built on the site of the main keep of Sendai Castle.
It features exhibits related to the main keep's great hall and highlights of Sendai Castle.

Aoba Castle Honmaru Hall

This facility houses a collection of shops and restaurants in the Aoba Castle Town area. The
Aoba Castle Town Shops area features shops including direct stores of companies that handle Sendai's specialties and famous sweets, such as Kasho Sanzen, Date no Gyutan Honpo, Kanezaki, and Ajikasa.

There are seven restaurants.
In addition to restaurants where you can enjoy Japanese food such as Japanese cuisine, yakitori restaurants and soba noodle shops, as well as restaurants directly operated by Date no Gyutan, there are also cafes such as sweets cafes and parlors, so you can use them not only for lunch but also for tea breaks.

Miyagi Prefecture Gokoku Shrine

Founded in 1904,
this shrine was built to enshrine the spirits of those from Miyagi Prefecture who sacrificed their lives for Japan in the wars from the Meiji Restoration to the Greater East Asia War.

summary

When you think of Sendai, you think of Date Masamune.
Aoba Castle, which Masamune built to rule Sendai, remains a beloved tourist spot for both locals and visitors.

After exploring the Sendai Castle ruins (Aoba Castle site), be sure to take a final look at the city of Sendai from the plaza where the equestrian statue stands. Seeing Sendai
from a perspective that reflects its history might reveal a different kind of charm!

By the way, near the site of the main gate of the Sendai Castle ruins (Aoba Castle ruins), there is a stone monument that is thought to have the symbol of the secret society "Freemasons" engraved on it. If you like urban legends and mystery spots, it might be worth checking out!

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT
A Freemason stone monument near the site of the Sendai Castle Otemon Gate? Investigating the Sendai mystery! [Miyagi Prefecture]
https://jp.neft.asia/archives/7848
Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle), the residence of Date Masamune, is located in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. Near the site of the main gate, there is a stone monument that appears to belong to the Freemasons, and it has become the subject of a bit of an urban legend. Why is there a stone monument engraved with the symbol of the Freemasons, a secret society founded in the late 16th to early 17th century, at Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle)? This time, we will delve into this mystery. What kind of organization is the secret society, the Freemasons, anyway? Because there are many mysterious aspects of the Freemasons, they are often whispered about as a secret society that is constantly the subject of conspiracy theories, but in reality, they are a group that is dedicated to the fundamental principles of humanity...
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