Skip to content
Japan
Deutsche Version

Yamagata · Capital · Core city

Yamagata

山形市やまがたしYamagata-shi

Castle town between Yamadera and Zao

Yamagata is the capital of Yamagata Prefecture, a former castle town of the Mogami clan in an inland basin, whose municipal area stretches from the temple of Yamadera to the hot springs and rime-ice slopes of Zao.

Overview

Yamagata lies in the south-east of the Yamagata Basin, at the foot of the Ou Mountains that separate it from Sendai. It grew as the castle town of the Mogami clan, and under Mogami Yoshiaki at the turn of the seventeenth century it was one of the largest domains in northern Japan. After 1876 it became the seat of the unified prefecture, and it remains the administrative, commercial and educational centre of the inland districts.

The city is unusual in holding two of the prefecture's best-known sights within its own boundaries: Risshaku-ji, the temple complex of Yamadera clinging to a rocky hillside in the north-east, and Zao Onsen, the spa and ski resort on the slopes of Zao in the south-east. The centre around the castle park, the Nanokamachi shopping streets and the restored Meiji and Taisho public buildings reflects both its daimyo past and its role as a model of early modernisation under governor Mishima Michitsune.

Yamagata has a strong cultural profile for its size. Its biennial International Documentary Film Festival, founded in 1989, is one of Asia's main forums for documentary cinema, and the city was named a UNESCO Creative City of Film in 2017.

Landmarks

  • Yamadera (Risshaku-ji)

    山寺（立石寺）Yamadera (Risshaku-ji)

    Tendai temple complex spread over a cliff face; about a thousand stone steps climb past halls and memorial stones to the Okunoin and the Godaido viewing pavilion. The Konponchudo keeps a flame said to have been brought from Enryaku-ji.

  • Kajo Park (Yamagata Castle)

    霞城公園（山形城跡）Kajō Kōen (Yamagata-jō ato)

    The site of the Mogami castle, with moats, stone walls and reconstructed gates within its second bailey; an equestrian statue of Mogami Yoshiaki stands in the grounds. The castle was known as Kajo, the "castle in the mist".

  • Bunshokan

    文翔館Bunshōkan

    The former prefectural office and assembly hall of 1916, a brick building in English Renaissance style with a clock tower, designated an Important Cultural Property.

  • Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum

    最上義光歴史館Mogami Yoshiaki Rekishikan

    Museum opposite the castle park devoted to the Mogami clan, with armour, weapons and documents.

  • Former Saiseikan Hospital

    旧済生館本館Kyū Saiseikan Honkan

    An unusual multi-storey pseudo-Western hospital building of 1878, moved into Kajo Park and used as a local history museum; an Important Cultural Property.

  • Zao Onsen

    蔵王温泉Zaō Onsen

    Old sulphur spa and ski resort on the Zao slopes; ropeways lead up to the juhyo fields in winter and to alpine walks in summer.

  • Yamagata Museum of Art

    山形美術館Yamagata Bijutsukan

    Art museum near the castle park with Japanese painting and a notable collection of French art, including the Yoshino Gypsum collection of French Impressionist and modern painting.

Districts

  • Nanokamachi

    七日町Nanokamachi

    The old market street and central shopping district, crossed by the restored Gotenzeki irrigation canal with its small shops and cafés.

  • Station area and Kajo

    山形駅・霞城Yamagata-eki, Kajō

    Shinkansen terminus next to the castle park; the station's west side has the Kajo Central tower and bus terminal for Zao and Sendai.

  • Yamadera

    山寺Yamadera

    Temple village in the Risshaku-ji valley, with lodgings and soba shops along the Tachiya River at the foot of the steps.

  • Zao Onsen

    蔵王温泉Zaō Onsen

    Spa village at about 900 metres, with public baths, inns and the base stations of the Zao ropeways.

  • Hirashimizu

    平清水Hirashimizu

    Pottery hamlet on the eastern edge of the city where Hirashimizu ware has been fired since the early nineteenth century.

History

In 1357 Shiba Kaneyori, sent north as a regional commander of the Ashikaga shogunate, settled in Yamagata and founded the line that took the name Mogami. The eleventh head, Mogami Yoshiaki, sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1600, defeated the Uesugi advance at Hasedo and expanded Yamagata Castle into one of the largest fortresses of the north, with a castle town laid out along the Ushu Kaido highway.

After the Mogami were dispossessed in 1622 the domain shrank and passed through a long succession of daimyo families. Yamagata prospered as a trading centre for safflower, the red dye plant shipped via the Mogami River and Sakata to Kyoto. In the Meiji period governor Mishima Michitsune rebuilt the town centre with Western-style public buildings, and the city became the prefectural capital in 1876. The arrival of the Yamagata Shinkansen in 1992 tied the city directly to Tokyo.

  1. 860

    Risshaku-ji (Yamadera) is founded, by tradition by the monk Ennin.

  2. 1357

    Shiba Kaneyori settles in Yamagata; his descendants become the Mogami clan.

  3. 1600

    Mogami Yoshiaki holds off the Uesugi at Hasedo during the campaigns around Sekigahara.

  4. 1622

    The Mogami domain is confiscated; Yamagata passes to a series of smaller daimyo houses.

  5. 1689

    Matsuo Basho visits Yamadera and writes his haiku on the cicadas' voice seeping into the rocks.

  6. 1876

    Yamagata becomes capital of the unified Yamagata Prefecture.

  7. 1889

    Yamagata is incorporated as a city.

  8. 1916

    The third prefectural office, now the Bunshokan, is completed.

  9. 1992

    The Yamagata Shinkansen begins through-running from Tokyo.

  10. 2019

    Yamagata becomes a core city.

Culture

Yamagata's cultural life centres on festivals, film and crafts. The Hanagasa Matsuri fills the main streets for three nights in August, and the riverside imoni gatherings define autumn. The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is held every two years in October and has made the city a meeting point for documentary makers from across Asia. The city's cast-iron foundries are among the oldest in Japan, and its Western-style public buildings from the Meiji and Taisho eras are among the best-preserved in Tohoku.

Festivals

  • Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri

    山形花笠まつりYamagata Hanagasa Matsuri

    5 to 7 August: a dance parade along the main avenue with safflower-decorated straw hats and taiko drummers mounted on floats.

  • Imoni-kai Festival

    日本一の芋煮会フェスティバルNihon-ichi no Imonikai Festibaru

    Held in September on the Mamigasaki riverbank, where an iron cauldron more than six metres across is used to cook imoni for a large crowd.

  • Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival

    山形国際ドキュメンタリー映画祭Yamagata Kokusai Dokyumentarī Eigasai

    Biennial festival held in October in odd-numbered years since 1989, with international and Asian competitions.

  • Zao Juhyo Festival

    蔵王樹氷まつりZaō Juhyō Matsuri

    Winter festival at Zao Onsen with a torchlit ski descent and illuminations of the rime-ice trees.

Food

  • Imoni

    芋煮imoni

    Beef and taro stew in soy-sauce broth, the centrepiece of the autumn riverside imoni-kai.

  • Hiyashi ramen

    冷やしラーメンhiyashi rāmen

    Ramen in chilled soy-based soup with ice, first served in Yamagata in the 1950s.

  • Dashi

    だしdashi

    Chopped summer vegetables and herbs dressed with soy sauce, eaten over rice.

  • Tama konnyaku

    玉こんにゃくtama konnyaku

    Skewered konnyaku balls stewed in soy sauce, the classic snack at the foot of Yamadera.

  • Jingisukan of Zao

    ジンギスカンjingisukan

    Grilled mutton on a domed iron pan, a long-standing speciality of Zao Onsen.

Getting around

  • Yamagata Station is served by the Yamagata Shinkansen from Tokyo (about two and a half to three hours) and by the Senzan Line to Sendai (about an hour and a quarter) and Yamadera (around twenty minutes).
  • Highway buses run frequently between Yamagata and Sendai, including Sendai Airport.
  • City buses connect the station with Zao Onsen (about forty minutes) and the central districts; the centre around Nanokamachi and Kajo Park is compact enough to walk.
  • Yamagata Airport lies in Higashine, north of the city, with flights to Tokyo Haneda and other domestic cities.

Day trips

  • Ginzan Onsen

    銀山温泉Ginzan Onsen

    Wooden inns of the Taisho era lining a river gorge in Obanazawa, reached via Oishida Station.

  • Tendo

    天童市Tendō-shi

    Town of shogi-piece makers and hot springs, a short train ride north.

  • Kaminoyama

    上山市Kaminoyama-shi

    Castle and spa town to the south, birthplace of the poet Saito Mokichi.

  • Yonezawa

    米沢市Yonezawa-shi

    Former Uesugi castle town, forty minutes south by Shinkansen.

  • Sendai

    仙台市Sendai-shi

    Tohoku's largest city, about an hour away over the Sasaya Pass by bus or train.

  • Dewa Sanzan

    出羽三山Dewa Sanzan

    The sacred mountains of Shonai, reached by bus across the Gassan highway.

Other cities in the prefecture

CityTsuruokaTsuruoka-shiSamurai town, sacred mountains and Shonai cookingCityYonezawaYonezawa-shiThe Uesugi castle town of the Okitama basin

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from Yamagata to Yamadera?

Yamadera Station is on the Senzan Line between Yamagata and Sendai, roughly twenty minutes from Yamagata. The temple steps begin a short walk from the station.

Is Zao Onsen part of Yamagata city?

Yes. Zao Onsen lies within the city boundary in the south-east and is linked to Yamagata Station by bus in about forty minutes.

When is the Hanagasa festival?

The Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri is held every year from 5 to 7 August in the evenings along the city's main avenue.

Can Yamagata be visited as a day trip from Sendai?

Yes. Trains on the Senzan Line and frequent highway buses cross the mountains in about an hour, and Yamadera lies on the way.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  2. 2.山形市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 山形市
  3. 3.山形県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 山形県

Editorial team · Published: