Good evening everyone, this is Mikan.
I have been to Sendai on a solo trip and would like to report on what I saw.
This time, I went to Zuihouden, the mausoleum of Date Masamune, which is a famous place related to Date Masamune.
Zuihouden, the mausoleum of Date Masamune
Sendai City Museum
Ruins of Sendai Castle, the site of the Date family’s castle
The museum is located in Sendai City, and the remains of the castle where the Date family resided.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Introduction of Sendai’s gourmet food and the hotel where we stayed.
For accommodations in Japan, please visit Rakuten Travel.
Rakuten Travel’s official website
- Solo Trip to Sendai: Tour of Places Related to Date Masamune (Zuihouden, Sendai City Museum, Ruins of Sendai Castle)
- What kind of person was Date Masamune?
- Date Man’s Sacred House Ruihouden
- Nirvana Gate
- Zuihouden
- Boshin Senso Chokon Hi (Boshin War Mourning Monument)
- Sensenden
- Zen’o-den (Zen’o Hall)
- Sendai City Museum
- Ruins of Sendai Castle
- Touring Places Related to Date Masamune
- Notes.
Solo Trip to Sendai: Tour of Places Related to Date Masamune (Zuihouden, Sendai City Museum, Ruins of Sendai Castle)
What kind of person was Date Masamune?
He was a warlord famous as “Dokuganryu,” or “the Dokugan Dragon.
Date Masamune was born in Yonezawa in 1567.
He lost his sight in his right eye due to smallpox when he was a child.
This probably led to the image of “Dokuganryu” with an eye patch over his right eye.
Portraits of Date Masamune and others were on display at the Sendai City Museum.
However, all of them have both eyes open!
The bust of Date Masamune in the image above also has both eyes well constructed.
The reason for this is that Masamune Date had the idea that losing a part of one’s body was a misfortune (or perhaps the nuance was that it was a bad omen or a disgrace?) Date Masamune had the idea that it was unfortunate to lose a part of one’s body, and he ordered that both eyes be properly aligned when he painted a portrait of a samurai.
That is why his portraits and statues have both eyes open.
Date Masamune succeeded to the governorship at the age of 18 and became the largest feudal lord in the Ou region in only five years.
However, the Warring States period came to an end with the unification of Japan by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and he sided with the Tokugawa forces in the Battle of Sekigahara, ending his life in 1636 at the age of 66.
He was a man of letters and military arts and enjoyed a variety of hobbies, and more than 1,000 of his handwritten letters have survived.
In the Sendai City Museum, we also found a letter he wrote to the king of a foreign country in order to trade with that country.
It is also said to be the origin of the word “date-sha,” which refers to a person with a flamboyant behavior, such as decorating horses with gorgeous decorations and wearing gold ornaments on their costumes.
Date Man’s Sacred House Ruihouden
Zuihouden official website→https://www.zuihoden.com/
To visit Zuihouden, first go to Sendai Station.
You can take a sightseeing bus called “Loople Sendai” from Sendai Station, and if you buy a one-day pass, you can get a discount.
Ruburu Sendai official website→http://loople-sendai.jp/
The fare for Ruburu Sendai is a flat rate of 260 yen (260 yen even if you get off at the first bus stop from Sendai Station, and 260 yen even if you get off at the third bus stop).
The bus runs every 15 to 20 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..
Suica” is also accepted. My TOICA is not accepted.
To get to Zuihouden, you can take either a city bus, a cab, or a rental car.
I boarded the Ruburu Sendai and headed for Zuihouden.
Even though it was a weekday, the bus was packed.
It took about 10 minutes to arrive at the Zuihouden bus stop.
Well, this much I do muscle training every day. It’s easy, easy, easy.
Hee…hee… It’s long…long…
I’m renting a walking stick or something…….hihi….
I managed to climb up…I’m tired…・・・・
To be honest, I don’t think people with weak legs and backs or those in wheelchairs can come this far.
I guess you can drive up there, but there seems to be no parking lot.
This is a map of Zuihouden. We will go around in order.
Now stairs… The route is to the left.
I finally made it to the top of the stairs. It was a long way.
The admission fee is 550 yen. If you have a one-day pass for Ruburu Sendai, you can get a discount.
Nirvana Gate
The Nirvana Gate is located right next to the reception desk. Nirvana Gate is the front gate of Zuihouden and refers to the state of nirvana, the state of enlightenment after the removal of vexations.
If you go to the right side, you will see a stone lantern across the stairs like this.
Stone lanterns are lined up across the staircase like this.
Apparently, these lanterns were dedicated by the retainers of Date Masamune, and each of them had the name of one of his retainers written on it. That means….
There it is! Kojuro Katakura!
Kojuro Katakura was a military commander who was known as “Kojuro the Demon. Kojuro” is a common name that has been handed down from generation to generation among the heads of the Katakura family, and was given this name by his father.
He was said to have been a man of considerable good looks. He must have been a beautiful type of handsome man, since he is said to be a man with good looks.
Going up the stairs lined with lanterns of his retainers
Zuihouden is located.
Zuihouden
It was once destroyed by fire during the war in 1945, but was rebuilt in 1979.
Anyway, it is shiny and super kinky gold.
I thought Nikko Toshogu Shrine was also white and flashy, but this one is small but gorgeous.
The reiya is sparkling, but there are stone monuments on both sides.
Near the gorgeous Zuihouden is a memorial tower for those who died in the line of duty.
When a lord dies, his vassals follow in his footsteps and take their own lives, which is called “martyrdom.
At the time of the death of his lord Date Masamune, a total of 20 people, including 15 vassals and 5 retainers, died as martyrs.
This monument was erected as a memorial to these 20 people.
The Warring States period was truly fierce.
The Zuihouden Museum is located right next to Zuihouden, so if you are interested, please visit.
Now that we have finished visiting Zuihouden, let’s move on.
こんなところに自動ドア・・・？
逆走防止なのかな・・・？（反対側からは開きませんでした）
Boshin Senso Chokon Hi (Boshin War Mourning Monument)
After passing through the automatic door, you will find this stone monument.
It was erected in 1877 at the expense of the Date family (14th head of the family, Date Munemoto) and former Sendai clan members to mourn the souls of 1,260 victims of the Boshin War (Keio 4, 1868 – 1869), including Sendai clan members and former shogunate vassals, and many civilian victims.
Was the Sendai area heavily involved in the Boshin War as well as Date Masamune?
As it is different from the luxurious and gorgeous Date family’s mausoleum, I felt a little sad.
…One day, in the woods, a bear, I don’t want to meet him.
Sensenden
If you follow the path that bears are said to come out, you will find Kansenden.
This is the mausoleum of the second feudal lord, Tadamune. In the early Meiji period (1868-1912), all but the main hall was torn down, and the main hall was also destroyed by fire during the war.
However, it was rebuilt in 1985.
Zen’o-den (Zen’o Hall)
Zenoden is the mausoleum of Tsunamune, the third lord of the domain.
It was destroyed by fire during the war and reconstructed in 1985.
Since there were few materials available before the fire, the phoenix and peony, Tsunamune’s favorite colors, were used.
This is the end of Zuihouden.
Next, we will board the Ruburu Sendai again and move on to the Sendai Museum.
Sendai City Museum
Now it is an empty lot.
The ruins of Sendai Castle are located on the mountain behind the Sendai City Museum, so it is not surprising that the vassal’s residence was located here.
Admission to the Sendai City Museum is 460 yen, and you can get a discount from Luburu Sendai here as well.
The museum is open from 9:00 to 16:45 and closed on Mondays.
The museum is currently showing a special feature on the Boshin War (as of November 2018). (as of November 2018)
Inside, there were various exhibits not only about Date Masamune, but also about the history of the entire city of Sendai, the people who were involved in it, and the lives of ordinary people.
I thought, “I am not interested in Sendai City, let alone Date Masamune.
But the ancient earthenware, armor from the Warring States Period, and guns from the Warring States Period were very exciting to see.
I heard that the Sendai Castle Ruins are within walking distance from the Sendai City Museum, so I walked there.
↑Yes, this is the place where you must not make a mistake in your trip – you will be tested!
Ruins of Sendai Castle
Hahahaha… hiiiii…
The road from the Sendai City Museum to the ruins of Sendai Castle is steeper than I had expected.
The slope is steep and the winding road makes it seem longer even though it is not so far.
I should have taken the “Ruburu Sendai”…. How many times I make the same mistake. ・・・・
When you finally finish climbing up the hill, you can see the remains of the Honmaru hall.
It is actually quite large when you see it.
And here is the most famous bronze statue of Date Masamune, “Statue of Lord Date Masamune Riding a Horse”.
This statue is actually the second generation, as the first one was melted down to collect copper during the war.
The pedestal is decorated with a relief depicting Masamune’s life.
Finally, the view of the city of Sendai from here is superb.
I heard that the statue of Date Masamune is lit up from sunset to 23:00, so it is nice to come here at night.
However, you will have to decide on another means of transportation, as the last train of Ruburu Sendai leaves at 4:00 p.m.
Although not directly related to Date Masamune, this is a cenotaph for the war dead of the Seinan War, Sino-Japanese War, and other wars.
A bronze “tobi” guards the cenotaph.
Touring Places Related to Date Masamune
So, I visited three places related to Date Masamune.
The glittering mausoleum was great, but I think it was a good decision to stop by the Sendai City Museum.
I had never been to the museum before, but it was fun to see a replica of a letter written by Date Masamune and other artifacts that gave a sense of life in those days.
If you are planning to visit Sendai, please stop by the museum
Notes.
It is convenient and inexpensive to use the Sendai Luburu. However, it is crowded even on weekdays and the last train leaves early. There is no way to reverse the route, so please allow plenty of time.
If you want to get back to Sendai Station quickly, it is recommended to transfer to the subway at the bus stop near the subway station on the way.
The slope and stairs at Zuihouden and other areas are steep and quite difficult. It is not accessible by car, so those with disabilities should be careful. It is probably impossible to get there by car.
I guess that’s about it.
Thank you for reading this far.
For accommodations in Japan, please visit Rakuten Travel.
Rakuten Travel’s official website
