Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle) Ruins and Date Masamune: The One-Eyed Dragon's Castle That Built the City of Trees

Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle)

Sendai Castle on Aoba Hill (approx. 130m) in Sendai, Miyagi, was built by Date Masamune in 1601 and was the largest castle complex in Tohoku. Most of the castle was dismantled after the Meiji period, but the stone walls of the main keep site and Masamune's equestrian statue convey the castle's former grandeur.

Highlights

- Date Masamune Equestrian Statue: Symbolic bronze statue standing at the edge of the main keep site - Stone Walls and Keep Ruins: Wide plaza with nozurazumi (natural stone stacking) walls - Sendai Castle Visitor Museum: Digital museum introducing Sendai Castle's history - City Views: Panoramic view of Sendai city and the Pacific Ocean from Aoba Hill

About Date Masamune

- "One-Eyed Dragon": Nickname from losing his right eye to illness in childhood - Sendai Domain 620,000 koku: Ruled one of Japan's largest domains, second only to the Tokugawa shogunate - Western Culture Enthusiast: Interested in Christianity and Western cuisine; dispatched the Keicho Embassy to Europe

Getting There

- From JR Sendai Station by Miyagi Kotsu bus to Aoba Castle-shi-mae: about 20 minutes - From Subway Tozai Line Kokusai Center Station: 20-minute walk

Tips

The stone walls are illuminated at night — magical atmosphere. For a combined visit with the Tanabata Festival, early August is ideal.