My main target in Sendai was the Zuihōden: a mausoleum complex built by Date Masamune and his heirs. I was very excited to see how the building complex would compare to, for example, Sensō-ji. After all, Date Masamune was one of the most powerful daimyos at the time and Sendai was a metropolis compared to Tokyo.
Getting there
I took the Loople, which goes directly to the mausoleum. Finding the right stop at Sendai station was difficult, but everything was easy once I was on board. Unfortunately, the weather was rather mixed, and neither the bus nor the complex itself was particularly crowded. From the stop, you have to climb a few steep stairs – these weren’t the last on my tour. In comparison, Tokyo is as flat as a pancake.
At Zuihōden
Like so many other historical sites, the Zuihōden was razed to the ground in WWII. Finally, in the 1970s and 1980s, the complex was faithfully reconstructed.
I passed the museum and went to the Haiden, the prayer hall. There I was immediately struck by the incredibly magnificent, almost exuberant decorations. Everything was different from, say, the rather plain Meiji Jingu. In the gallery, some beautiful Tanataba decorations were on display as well.
I then went through the Karamon to the actual mausoleum, which was built according to the instructions of Date Masamune. If the Haiden had already been magnificent, there I was at a loss for words. The contrast of the gold and the bright colors with the black wood is absolutely overwhelming. The complex is both the high and the endpoint of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, which ended with the unification of the Japanese empire under Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The descendants of Date Masamune then built another complex of mausoleums:
- The Kansenden by the son Date Tadamune
- The Zennoden by the grandson Date Tsunamune
- And the Myounkaibyo of the later descendants
While the first two buildings are stylistically very similar to the Zuihōden, the Myounkaibyo is of a much simpler design with grave steles. From there, a small path leads to the Okosamagobyō, where other children of the Date clan are buried.
Overall, I’d absolutely recommend this excursion for anyone interested in Japanese history beyond the paths known in the West 🙂