Japan Guide
Northern Honshū
Aobayama-kōen
The natural place to start exploring Sendai is the wooded hilltop park, Aobayama-kōen, which was once the site of the magnificent Sendai Castle, popularly known as Aoba-jō. Only a few stretches of wall and a reconstructed gateway remain, but the site is impeccable, protected by the river to the east and a deep ravine on its south side. Buses run from Sendai Station (platform 9) to Aobajōshi-mae, a twenty-minute journey, from where it's a short walk to the statue of Masamune astride his horse, surveying the city below.
Blind in one eye, Masamune was a fearsome warrior, nicknamed the "One-Eyed Dragon". He had been granted the fiefdom in return for helping bring Tokugawa Ieyasu to power in 1603, and his Daté clan continued to rule Sendai for the next 270 years. Their castle was constructed in highly ornate Momoyama style, with painted ceilings and huge rooms divided by glorious screens, more like a luxurious palace than a fortress. You can get an idea of its former glory in the small Aoba-jō Exhibition Hall, or Aoba-jō Shiryōtenjikan (daily 9am–5pm; ¥700), located above the park's souvenir shops, where a short computer-generated film takes you "inside" the castle; the red seats are equipped with foreign-language earphone sets.