Sendai Castle Ruins (Aoba Castle Ruins)

Information

Sendai Castle, or also called Aoba Castle, was built on the Aoba-yama Hill by Date Masamune in 1602 . Since then, the castle was the residence of the Date family over 260 years. The castle tactically uses the cliffs along the Tatsunokuchi-keikoku gorge and the Hirose-gawa river as the castle's outer moat. The castle was the second largest castle following the Edo Castle during the Edo Period (1603 - 1868), but unlike other Japanese castles, it had no Tenshu-kaku central tower to show allegiance to the Tokugawa Shogunate.
On the site of the ruins, the castle's original stone walls, the restored turret at the Otemon gate, and the statue of Date Masamune can be seen.

Opening Hours

Open 24 hours
Museum: 9:00 - 17:00 (April 1 - November 3)
Museum: 9:00 - 16:00 (November 4 - March 31)

Closed

No closing days

Price / Entrance Fee

Admission Free
Museum: 700 yen (General, Adult)
Museum: 500 yen (Student)
Museum: 300 yen (Child)

Access / Public Transport

30 minutes from JR Sendai Station by Loople Sendai Bus. Get off at Sendaijo-ato Bus stop.

Address / Location

1, Kawauchi, Aoba-ku Sendai-shi, Miyagi, 980-0862

Tweets

Archaeology Magazine @archaeologymag - 2019-10-22: Stone wall foundations that may have been part of an original route leading to the seventeenth-century Sendai Castl… https://t.co/dIAlriPtHs
Marianne Meed Ward @MariannMeedWard - 2019-10-21: Our next stop was Zuihoden (瑞鳳殿, Zuihōden) the mausoleum of Date Masamune, one of the most powerful feudal lords of… https://t.co/vYMsblZ4br
Tom @historylab_tom - 2019-10-19: Possible Route to Sendai Castle Uncovered in Japan https://t.co/vYHLXMt9mj
ナマハゲ博士 Dr. Nyri Bakkalian 👹 @riversidewings - 2019-10-19: @Kur0nue And then he went and put a brewery in his castle and poached the Yagyu clan's master brewer to be in charg… https://t.co/ckP75XlZXD
ナマハゲ博士 Dr. Nyri Bakkalian 👹 @riversidewings - 2019-10-19: @Kur0nue He had stonemasons from Sakai (Osaka) come build Sendai Castle's walls. He forbade them from leaving; hire… https://t.co/vyzdGY1AIy
Archaeology Magazine @archaeologymag - 2019-10-17: Possible Route to Sendai Castle Uncovered in Japan https://t.co/gaWHEJ1X5I
Christopher Fennell @ccfennell - 2019-10-17: News Feed: Possible Route to Sendai Castle Uncovered in Japan https://t.co/2cSufno5pQ
Damien Marie AtHope @AthopeMarie - 2019-10-17: Newly excavated stone wall could show original Edo period route to Sendai Castle keep - The Mainichi https://t.co/wbfOSvhazh
istockhistory @istockhistory - 2019-10-17: Newly excavated stone wall could show original Edo period route to Sendai Castle keep - The Mainichi #archaeology… https://t.co/iPOHUYjFaY
Samurai Archives @samuraiarchives - 2019-10-16: SENDAI -- Another stone wall near the site of Tatsumi Gate, located northeast of the keep site of Sendai Castle her… https://t.co/dGNIAaycfs
The Mainichi (Japan) @themainichi - 2019-10-16: Newly excavated stone wall could show original Edo period route to Sendai Castle keep
https://t.co/BJSyn3FIpO
JCastle @JCastleinfo - 2019-10-15: Newly excavated stone wall could show original Edo period route to Sendai Castle keep - The Mainichi https://t.co/RvdJBFJ4VO
The Mainichi (Japan) @themainichi - 2019-10-15: Newly excavated stone wall could show original Edo period route to Sendai Castle keep
https://t.co/BJSyn3FIpO
ナマハゲ博士 Dr. Nyri Bakkalian 👹 @riversidewings - 2019-10-12: So Masamune built a Jo-jodan no ma in Sendai Castle. Once a year, at New Year's, he'd don court costume and go to t… https://t.co/PEF5RI2aCt
ナマハゲ博士 Dr. Nyri Bakkalian 👹 @riversidewings - 2019-10-12: The Emperor *did* turn up-- Emperor Meiji did, in 1881-- and stayed near Sendai, at Zuigan-ji Temple in the town of… https://t.co/qijSaHlVRj
𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘪 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘵 | 🥂 @lunardazai - 2019-10-11: ariel and kells: yeah ur fave is gonna be oikawa
me after getting attached to oikawa and realizing his team is name… https://t.co/YmYtJgSubt
Adam Ross Glickman @Adamrossworld - 2019-10-08: Standing at the top of a mountain overlooking Sendai where Castle ruins remain (1600).
Japan and my heart. @ Sendai https://t.co/iVLKsGeJCs
Black Catさん @j_videography - 2019-10-04: Introducing the highlights of Sendai city area viewed from the Sendai Castle Ruins in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefectur… https://t.co/HValidwMEZ
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-28: Trouble is, some of them aren't so nice. They're believed to cause illness and misfortune if they're feeling like p… https://t.co/Nr5ZrCraTb
ナマハゲ博士 Dr. Nyri Bakkalian 👹 @riversidewings - 2019-09-28: Trouble is, some of them aren't so nice. They're believed to cause illness and misfortune if they're feeling like p… https://t.co/Nr5ZrCraTb
🍃🌸Bukiibunny🐇🍡 @Bukiibun - 2019-09-27: The famous ‘One-Eyed Dragon’ Date Masamune’s castle, Aobajō!

Such beautiful views of the city of Sendai below, I… https://t.co/NUmhHioPky
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-26: Anyway, after 1600, Masamune established his new capital at Sendai, and had construction begin on the new castle at… https://t.co/UE0wAgKSOt
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-26: As the lord's favorite horse for many years, Gotouguro lived in Sendai Castle, presumably in the portion at or near… https://t.co/GxPRAQEj89
Nicolas Distefano @KEURQUE - 2019-09-26: 3/3 The famous statue of late feudal lord Date Masamune at the remains of Aoba Castle in Sendai.

#DateMasamune… https://t.co/rsM5mUV0nk
Nicolas Distefano in Japan! 🇯🇵 @KEURQUE - 2019-09-26: 3/3 The famous statue of late feudal lord Date Masamune at the remains of Aoba Castle in Sendai.

#DateMasamune… https://t.co/rsM5mUV0nk
Nicolas Distefano @KEURQUE - 2019-09-25: Our next destination takes us to the mountain temple of Yamadera and the remains of Aoba Castle in Sendai. It was o… https://t.co/82qzxjBSy0
Nicolas Distefano in Japan! 🇯🇵 @KEURQUE - 2019-09-25: Our next destination takes us to the mountain temple of Yamadera and the remains of Aoba Castle in Sendai. It was o… https://t.co/82qzxjBSy0
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-14: @nf1nk Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle), the domain's core castle, compares to a Hiroshima or a Nagoya or a Himeji. Iway… https://t.co/Biwe3hjRBu
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-14: @nf1nk The other thing to remember here is that regardless of size, the castles and forts across Sendai domain ofte… https://t.co/jpJBobAa1h
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-14: Alright, folks, gather round, make a circle. #Thread time. Let's talk about castles and defense-in-depth in the Edo… https://t.co/AzqLUYQuit
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-14: The expectation from the Tokugawa Shogunate is that the samurai almost all live in a domain's one castle town. Send… https://t.co/hGZOcIapGs
Dr. Nyri A Bakkalian (浪人歴史家) @riversidewings - 2019-09-14: There's over a dozen castles scattered across the territory, with major vassals-- who have their own vassals-- livi… https://t.co/dp9jE4gpXH