Miyagi · Capital · Designated city
Sendai
仙台市せんだいしSendai-shiThe castle town of the Date and capital of the north-east
Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in Tohoku, a castle town founded by Date Masamune in 1601 and known as the City of Trees for its zelkova-lined avenues.
Overview
Sendai lies on the Hirose River where the Sendai Plain meets the first hills of the Ou Mountains, some 350 kilometres north of Tokyo. As the seat of regional branches of government ministries, corporate head offices for the north-east and a cluster of universities led by Tohoku University, it functions as the capital of the whole Tohoku region, and it is the only city in the region with more than a million inhabitants.
The city grew from the castle town Date Masamune laid out below Aobayama in 1601. Its gilded Momoyama-style monuments – Osaki Hachimangu, the Zuiho-den mausoleum, Sendai Toshogu – and the Date collections of the City Museum recall one of the great domains of the Edo period. Air raids in 1945 destroyed much of the centre, and the post-war city was rebuilt around broad avenues planted with zelkova trees, the origin of the nickname Mori no Miyako, City of Trees.
Sendai is compact and easy to navigate, with arcaded shopping streets, the Kokubuncho entertainment district and two subway lines. Within the city limits lie the spa towns of Akiu and Sakunami and the forested upper Hirose valley, and Matsushima, Zao and Yamadera are all within about an hour.
Landmarks
Sendai Castle ruins (Aoba Castle)
仙台城跡Sendai-jō atoStone walls on Aobayama, a reconstructed gate turret at the foot of the hill, with Masamune's equestrian statue and a view over the city; a National Historic Site.
Zuiho-den
瑞鳳殿ZuihōdenMasamune's richly carved and lacquered mausoleum in a cedar grove, destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1979, with the tombs of the second and third lords nearby.
Osaki Hachimangu
大崎八幡宮Ōsaki HachimangūShrine built by Masamune in 1607 in black lacquer and gold, the finest surviving example of the gongen style of the Momoyama period and a National Treasure.
Sendai Toshogu
仙台東照宮Sendai TōshōgūShrine to Tokugawa Ieyasu completed in 1654 by the second lord, Date Tadamune; its main hall and gate are Important Cultural Properties.
Sendai City Museum
仙台市博物館Sendai-shi HakubutsukanHolds the Date family collection, including Masamune's armour and the documents of the Keicho embassy to Europe, a National Treasure listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World.
Sendai Mediatheque
せんだいメディアテークSendai MediatēkuLibrary and arts centre on Jozenji-dori designed by Ito Toyo, completed in 2001, whose floors rest on tubular steel columns.
Jozenji-dori
定禅寺通Jōzenji-dōriAvenue lined with four rows of zelkova trees and sculptures, the stage for the street jazz festival and the winter illuminations.
Akiu Great Falls
秋保大滝Akiu ŌtakiBroad waterfall on the upper Natori River in the west of the city, near the spa town of Akiu, counted among Japan's hundred finest waterfalls.
Districts
Ichibancho
一番町IchibanchōThe main shopping district, with covered arcades such as Sunmall Ichibancho and Clis Road running between the station and Jozenji-dori.
Kokubuncho
国分町KokubunchōThe largest nightlife district in Tohoku, dense with izakaya, bars and restaurants.
Sendai Station area
仙台駅Sendai-ekiTransport hub whose west exit is linked to the surrounding streets by an extensive raised pedestrian deck.
Akiu
秋保AkiuSpa and wine-growing area in the west of Taihaku Ward, with the Akiu Great Falls and the Rairai Gorge.
Sakunami
作並SakunamiRiverside spa village in the mountains of Aoba Ward, near the Miyagikyo whisky distillery.
History
Before the Date, the area around today's city was a frontier district close to Tagajo, the ancient administrative seat of Mutsu. Date Masamune chose the hill of Aobayama for a new castle in 1600 and moved there from Iwadeyama the following year, renaming the place from 千代 to 仙台 after a line of Tang poetry. Sendai became the capital of a domain officially assessed at 620,000 koku and one of the largest castle towns in eastern Japan.
After the Meiji Restoration Sendai became the prefectural capital, a garrison town of the Second Division and, from 1907, a university city. The air raid of 10 July 1945 burned much of the centre. Post-war reconstruction created the wide avenues of Aoba-dori, Hirose-dori and Jozenji-dori; the city absorbed neighbouring municipalities in the 1980s and became a designated city in 1989. The 2011 tsunami flooded the coastal district of Arahama in Wakabayashi Ward, where the former Arahama Elementary School is preserved as a memorial.
1600
Date Masamune begins building Aoba Castle on Aobayama.
1601
Masamune moves in and the castle town of Sendai is laid out.
1607
Osaki Hachimangu is completed, now a National Treasure.
1637
The Zuiho-den mausoleum of Masamune, who died in 1636, is built.
1889
Sendai is incorporated as a city.
1907
Tohoku Imperial University is founded.
1945
The air raid of 10 July destroys much of central Sendai.
1987
The Namboku subway line opens.
1989
Sendai becomes a designated city with five wards.
2011
The tsunami of 11 March devastates the coastal district of Arahama.
Culture
Sendai's cultural life combines the traditions of the Date castle town with the energy of a large student population. The Tanabata festival fills the arcades with streamers every August, the sparrow dance of the Aoba Matsuri recalls the builders of the castle, and the Jozenji Streetjazz Festival brings hundreds of amateur bands onto the streets each September.
The city is a centre of learning: Tohoku University's campuses at Katahira, Kawauchi and Aobayama give the city a youthful character, and the Chinese writer Lu Xun studied medicine at the Sendai Medical College, a predecessor of the university, in the early 1900s. Professional sport also matters locally, with baseball, football and basketball teams based in the city.
Festivals
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri
仙台七夕まつりSendai Tanabata MatsuriFrom 6 to 8 August the arcades and streets are hung with elaborate washi streamers and the seven traditional ornaments.
Sendai Aoba Matsuri
仙台・青葉まつりSendai Aoba MatsuriSpring festival in May with a samurai procession, yamaboko floats and suzume odori troupes on Jozenji-dori.
Donto-sai at Osaki Hachimangu
松焚祭Matsutaki MatsuriOn 14 January New Year decorations are burned in a great bonfire, while pilgrims in white walk in the hadaka mairi carrying bells and lanterns.
Jozenji Streetjazz Festival
定禅寺ストリートジャズフェスティバルJōzenji Sutorīto Jazu FesutibaruWeekend in September when stages in streets and parks host amateur bands of every genre.
Sendai Pageant of Starlight
SENDAI光のページェントSendai Hikari no PējentoIllumination of the zelkova trees of Jozenji-dori in December.
Food
Gyutan
牛タンgyūtanCharcoal-grilled beef tongue with barley rice and oxtail soup, the city's signature dish since the late 1940s.
Zunda mochi
ずんだ餅zunda mochiRice cakes with sweet edamame paste; zunda also appears in shakes and confectionery.
Sasa-kamaboko
笹かまぼこsasa-kamabokoLeaf-shaped grilled fish cakes, the classic Sendai souvenir.
Hiyashi chuka
冷やし中華hiyashi chūkaCold ramen with toppings; a Sendai restaurant is widely credited with devising the dish in the 1930s.
Sendai-style imoni
芋煮imoniTaro stew cooked outdoors along the Hirose River in autumn; Sendai's version uses pork and miso.
Getting around
- Sendai Station is the main stop of the Tohoku Shinkansen, about 90 minutes from Tokyo on the fastest trains, and the terminus of local lines to Matsushima, Ishinomaki and Yamagata.
- Two subway lines cross the city: the Namboku Line north–south and the Tozai Line east–west via the Sendai Castle area, the zoo and Tohoku University's Aobayama campus.
- The Loople Sendai sightseeing bus runs a loop from the station past Zuiho-den, the castle ruins, the City Museum and Osaki Hachimangu.
- Sendai Airport is linked to Sendai Station by the Sendai Airport Access Line in under half an hour.
- The centre is compact enough to walk between the station, Ichibancho, Kokubuncho and Jozenji-dori.
Day trips
- 松島Matsushima
Island-dotted bay and Zuigan-ji temple, under an hour by the JR Senseki Line.
- 山寺Yamadera
The mountain temple Risshaku-ji and the city of Yamagata, reached across the mountains by the JR Senzan Line in about an hour.
- 蔵王Zaō
Volcanic massif with the Okama crater lake, reached by bus via Togatta Onsen.
- 平泉Hiraizumi
World Heritage temples of the Oshu Fujiwara, via the Shinkansen to Ichinoseki.
- 石巻Ishinomaki
Port city with the Ishinomori Mangattan Museum and tsunami memorial sites, about an hour by train.
Shiogama
塩竈ShiogamaFishing port with Shiogama Jinja, the first-ranked shrine of the old province of Mutsu, and a busy fish market.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
What is Sendai famous for?
Sendai is known as the city founded by Date Masamune, for its Tanabata festival in August, its tree-lined avenues and for gyutan, grilled beef tongue.
How do I get from Tokyo to Sendai?
The Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station reaches Sendai in about 90 minutes on the fastest trains. Overnight and daytime highway buses also run.
Is anything left of Sendai Castle?
The castle buildings were dismantled after the Meiji Restoration and the rest lost in 1945, but the stone walls and Masamune's statue remain on Aobayama, and a gate turret has been reconstructed below.
When is the Sendai Tanabata festival?
It is held every year from 6 to 8 August, following the old lunar calendar tradition of celebrating Tanabata a month later than 7 July.
Are there hot springs in Sendai?
Yes. Akiu Onsen and Sakunami Onsen both lie within the city limits in the western hills and are reached by bus from Sendai Station.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.仙台市公式ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 仙台市
- 3.宮城県公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 宮城県
- 4.Miyagi (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization