This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
The pride of the six Tohoku prefectures: "Here lies the majesty of the Sendai domain, a large domain in the Michinoku region with 620,000 koku of rice!" Sendai Castle, built by the One-Eyed Dragon [Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture]
The pride of the six Tohoku prefectures: "Here lies the majesty of the Sendai domain, a large domain in the Michinoku region with 620,000 koku of rice!" Sendai Castle, built by the One-Eyed Dragon [Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture]
The Sendai domain was ruled by the Date clan from its establishment until its abolition during the Meiji Restoration, and although its official kokudaka was 620,000 koku, its actual kokudaka, including that of its branch domain, Ichinoseki domain, exceeded 1 million koku, making it a large domain
The Date clan had approximately 10,000 direct retainers, and their maximum military strength is said to have been around 35,000. Despite being an outside daimyo family, they were granted the surname " Matsudaira ," and successive lords of the Date clan were given the official title of "Mutsu-no-kami" ( Governor of Mutsu Province )
that Date Masamune,the 17th head of the Date clan and the founder of the domain,personally climbed Mount Aoba to plan the layout of Sendai Castle, which would become his residence.
In the context of castles, the term "nawabari" does not refer to the "territory" of animals or anti-social forces, but rather to the overall design of the castle (the layout of the moats, stone walls, earthen ramparts, moats, and trenches)
Sendai Castle, the symbol of the City of Trees (Aoba Ward, Sendai City: National Historic Site, One of Japan's 100 Great Castles)
Date Masamune, watching over Sendai city from the ruins of the Honmaru
Sendai Castle, also known as " Aoba Castle " because it was built on Aoba Mountain , was ruled by the Date clan from the time Date Masamune resided there as the first lord of the Sendai Domain until the Meiji Restoration.
Date Masamune, by Tosa Mitsusada, housed at Tofukuji Temple and Reigenin Temple. Source: Wikipedia
Masamune, who sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu of the Eastern Army , obtained Ieyasu's permission after the Battle of Sekigahara to lay out a layout and build a castle on Aobayama in Sendai. In 1603 (Keicho 8), he moved from his previous residence, Iwadeyama Castle, to Sendai Castle.
Sendai Castle was originally a mountain castle that took advantage of natural fortifications
Sendai Castle is surrounded by the Hirose River and Mt. Aoba, and you can see that the main keep and western keep are located on a cliff
Sendai Castle is classified as a "renkaku-shiki hirayama-jiro" (連垣式平山城), but " renkaku-shiki " refers to a style of castle layout where the main keep, second bailey, and third bailey are connected in a straight line and arranged in parallel, while "hirayama-jiro" (平山城) refers to a castle built using mountains or hills in the middle of a plain.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, Masamune found Iwadeyama Castle, a mountain castle located in the north of his domain, inconvenient, so he set his sights on the Sendai plain, located almost in the center of his domain, and decided to build his castle there
The stone walls of the main keep and the town area make it clear that the castle was impregnable
The western bank of the Hirose River, which flows through the plain, is a steep cliff, and it is said that Mount Aoba, located there, has been a mountain castle since ancient times as a natural fortress
Date Masamune guards the Uesugi clan
At that time, the Edo shogunate was not yet firmly established, and although Masamune had been transferred from Aizu to Yonezawa with a reduced territory, heUesugi Kagekatsu, and so he built a strong castle in a strategic location.
There is a huge difference in elevation between the remains of the main castle, the Hirose River, and Sendai city
Masamune entrusted the frontal defense of the castle to the Hirose River, and built Sendai Castle, consisting of the Honmaru and Nishinomaru, with Mount Aoba behind it. This is thought to have been done to buy time until reinforcements from the shogunate could arrive, even if the Uesugi forces attacked
Sebastian Vizcaino Source: Wikipedia
Vizcaíno, a Spanish explorer who visited the castle at the time, described it as "one of the finest and strongest castles in Japan, built on a majestic mountain surrounded by deep rivers and with cliffs exceeding 100 feet in height."
Honmaru without a castle tower
Remains of the main castle (the cornerstone in the foreground is the remains of the great hall)
The main enclosure of Sendai Castlea vast area measuring 245m east-west and 267m north-south, and immediately after Masamune built it, a palace was constructed there to serve as the lord's place of business and residence.
The Sendai Castle Museum is located on the castle tower base where the main castle was never built. Materials excavated during excavation work are on display
Masamune did not build a castle tower in the main citadel of Sendai Castle, and there are various theories as to why this was the case, including that it was to show that he had no hostility towards Ieyasu, or that a castle tower was unnecessary in the Edo period, when there were no wars
Remains of the main castle's large hall
However, although it wasn't intended as a substitute for the castle tower, a " Great Hall " was built in the northern part of the main enclosure in 1610 as the central facility of the castle
Explanation of the ruins of the great hall
This was where the feudal lord met with his vassals, and the interior is said to have been decorated with gorgeous sliding screen paintings and metal fittings, making it a magnificent palace in the Momoyama style
The layout of the excavated remains of the great hall has now been recreated, with the layout of each room and the position of the pillars displayed, making the scale of the ruins easy to understand
Stone walls from the castle construction period
Furthermore, at the site of the main keep , there are exhibits of the stone wall that was originally built around 1602, which was confirmed during the restoration of the "stone wall on the north side of the main keep ," and the stone wall that was repaired after the section collapsed in the 1668 (Kanbun 8) earthquake, allowing visitors to compare the differences in the techniques used
Stone walls built after 1868. The difference in technology is immediately apparent when compared
Nishinomaru, which became a shrine
On the site of the former Nishinomaruthe Miyagi Prefecture Gokoku Shrinewas established, enshrining the more than 56,000 soldiers who lost their lives between the Meiji Restoration and the Pacific War.
This is the only shrine in the Tohoku region to have received the former main sanctuary of the Kazenomiya (Wind Shrine), the outer shrine of Ise Grand Shrine
Date Tadamune, Collection of Sendai City Museum, Source: Wikipedia
Sendai Castle was a sturdy mountain castle, but as the Tokugawa Shogunate solidified its system and the peaceful Edo period arrived, travel to the main castle, which was far from the city and required climbing a mountain, became inconvenient
Therefore, Date Tadamune, the 18th head of the Date clan andthe second lord of the Sendai Domain, who succeeded Masamune ashead of the family, built the Ninomaru (second enclosure) on a flat area close to the town and moved the domain's administrative offices and residences there.
Remains of the outer moat of Sannomaru
Furthermore, with the construction of Sannomaru next to the Otemon Gate, the center of Sendai Castle moved to Ninomaru, and the Honmaru and Nishinomaru on the mountain fell into disuse
It is said that Tadamune's move to Ninomaru was a will from Masamune, who sensed the arrival of an era of peace
Remains of Sendai Castle still remain today
The remains of the gate of Sannomaru. The stone walls of the gate remain
The ruins of Sendai Castle have been developed as a park, the vast Ninomaru is now the Kawauchi Campus of Tohoku University, and the Sendai City Museum has been built in Sannomaru. However, stone walls and earthworks still remain from the Honmaru to Sannomaru, giving the impression that this is the site of a castle
Almost all of the buildings within the castle grounds have been lost, but some relocated structures, such as the "Tora-no-mon" (Tiger Gate) and the "Dragon Gate of the rear gate of the main keep), remain in various locations throughout the city.
Restoration plans for the future
The remains of the Otemon Gate. The building on the left is the Otemon Waki-yagura (turret next to the Otemon Gate), and on the right is the Otemon Gate's north stone wall
If you head west from central Sendai along Aoba-dori and cross the Ohashi Bridge over the Hirose River, you will see the Otemon Wakiyagura ( side turret of the main gate ) and the Otemon Kitagawa Ishigaki (stone wall on the north side of the main gate ), giving you a sense that this is the site of a castle.
The Otemon Gate Waki-yagura (turret) was restored in 1964 (Showa 39) through private donations, and is a reconstructed relic that gives an idea of the former size of the Otemon Gate
The beautifully stacked stone walls of the Otemon Gate
In addition, a plan to restore the Otemon Gate has been launched in 2021 (Reiwa 3), and it is scheduled to be rebuilt along with the existing side towers by 2038 (Reiwa 20)
Address: 1 Kawauchi, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
Phone number: 022-214-8544
Opening hours: Honmaru Ruins and Aoba Castle Museum 9:00-17:00 (until 16:00 from November 4th to March 31st)
Opening hours: Sendai Castle Museum 9:00-17:00
Opening hours: Sendai City Museum 9:00-16:45
Closed: Sendai City Museum, Mondays (open if Monday is a substitute holiday), the day after a substitute holiday (open if Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday)
To get to the main keep site, drive around the back of the mountain and arrive at the Aoba Castle Main Keep Hall parking lot via the Uzumimon Gate site. From there, you can immediately see the " Main Keep Great Hall Site " and the " Equestrian Statue of Date Masamune ."
However, aside from that, the nearby Nishinomaru site is nowMiyagi Prefecture Gokoku Shrine, the lower Ninomaru site is now part of Tohoku University's grounds, and only a few remnants of the castle are scattered around the Sendai City Museum on the site of the Sanomaru.
It looks very lonely compared to the famous castle ruins in other prefectures, and I sincerely hope that the remains around the Sendai Castle ruins will be further reproduced and restored, and that it will become a castle ruin that reminds us of the former glory of the Date clan
I'm a former Edoite (Tokyoite) who loves Morioka and the six prefectures of Tohoku, and I'm a big fan of history, gourmet food, travel, sports, alcohol, and choral singing.
I'll introduce you to interesting things, delicious food, and great places in Tohoku!
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