The 10 Best Historic Sites in Sendai, Tohoku

The Sendai Toshogu Shrine lies on a low hill about 2 kilometers away from the JR Sendai Station in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. In 1654, this shrine was built by Date Tadamune, the second lord of Sendai and a successor of Date Masamune. Date Masamune is incredibly famous in japan and known as the “dokuganryu” or “one-eyed dragon.” This is because he was blind in one eye, and he fought as bravely and fiercely as a dragon. The shrine was built in a location where Tokugawa Ieyasu rested with Date Masamune when he was headed to Oshu (the former name of the Fukushima prefecture). It took 5 years and 834,835 people to build the shrine. The detail and hard work that went into this shrine can be seen from its sheer magnificence. The style of this shrine’s construction is very different from the Nikko Toshogu Shrine and the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. These shrines are in the gongen-zukuri style, which means the haiden (worship hall) and the honden (main building of shrine) are connected under the same roof in the shape of an “H.” Alternatively, the Sendai Toshogu Shrine’s honden and haiden are separated and a karamon (traditional gate) is located between the two. The Honden, Karamon (traditional gate) and Romon (two-story gate) were designated as “important cultural properties” by the Japanese government. The goshintai (physical objects that hold the spirit of a deity) of the Sendai Toshogu Shrine was moved to Sendai from Edo (the former name of Tokyo) by way of a mikoshi (a portable shrine, often seen in festivals). It took 13 days to carry. It is said that this mikoshi was the largest in the Tohoku region at the time. Once the mikoshi arrived in Sendai, all of the residents of Sendai came to welcome the objects to the shrine. Since the Meiji period, the Sendai Toshogu Shrine has not had official support from the government. Although they don’t get support from government, during the Japanese New Year, around a million people visit the shrine. Among the people of Japan, the Sendai Toshogu Shrine has been popular, respected and loved.