The modern city was founded in 1600 by thedaimyōDate Masamune. It is nicknamed theCity of Trees (杜の都,Mori no Miyako); there areJapanese zelkova trees lining many of the main thoroughfares such as Jōzenji Street (定禅寺通,Jōzenji dōri) and Aoba Street (青葉通,Aoba dōri).In the summer, theSendai Tanabata Festival, the largestTanabata festival in Japan, is held. In winter, the trees are decorated with thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight (光のページェント,Hikari no pējento), lasting through most of December. The city is also home toTohoku University, one of the formerImperial Universities. On 11 March 2011, coastal areas of the city suffered catastrophic damage from amagnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake,[2][3][4] which triggered a destructivetsunami.[5]
Although the Sendai area was inhabited as early as 20,000 years ago, the history of Sendai as a city begins from 1600, when thedaimyōDate Masamune relocated. Masamune was not happy with his previous stronghold,Iwadeyama, which was located in the northern portion of his territories and was difficult to access fromEdo (modern-day Tokyo). Sendai was an ideal location, being in the centre of Masamune's newly defined territories, upon the major road from Edo.Tokugawa Ieyasu gave Masamune permission to build a new castle in Aobayama after theBattle of Sekigahara. The previous ruler of the Sendai area had used a castle located on Aobayama. At this time Sendai was written as千代 ("a thousand generations" or "eternity"). Masamune changed thekanji to "仙臺", which later became "仙台" (literally: "hermit/wizard" plus "platform/plateau" or figuratively, "hermit on a platform/high ground"). The character came from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created by theEmperor Wen of Han China (reigned 180–157 BCE), comparing it to a mythical palace in theKunlun Mountains. Tradition says that Masamune chose thiskanji so that the castle would prosper as long as a mountain inhabited by an immortal hermit.
Masamune ordered the construction ofSendai Castle in December 1600 and the construction of the surroundingcastle town in 1601. The grid plan roads in modern-day central Sendai are based upon his plans.
The first railway line between Sendai and Tokyo, now theTōhoku Main Line, opened in 1887, bringing the area within a day's travel from Tokyo for the first time in history.Tohoku Imperial University, the region's first university, was founded in Sendai in 1907 and became the first Japanese university to admit female students in 1913.
Sendai was incorporated as a city on 1 April 1889, with the post-Meiji restoration creation of the modern municipalities system following theabolition of the han system. At the time of incorporation, the city's area was 17.45 square kilometres (6.74 sq mi) and its population was 86,000. The city grew, however, through seven annexations that occurred between 1928 and 1988. The city became adesignated city on 1 April 1989; the city's population exceeded one million in 1999.
Sendai was considered to be one of Japan's greenest cities, mostly because of its great numbers of trees and plants. Sendai became known as The City of Trees before theMeiji Restoration, after the feudalSendai Domain encouraged residents to plant trees in their gardens. As a result, many houses, temples, and shrines in central Sendai hadhousehold forests (屋敷林,yashikirin), which were used as resources for wood and other everyday materials.
The2nd Infantry Division was known as the "Sendai Division" as it was based in Sendai, and recruited locally. During the Second World War it was involved in many different campaigns, but one of the most important was theBattle of Guadalcanal. During thebombing of Sendai during World War II by the United States on 10 July 1945, much of the historic center of the city was burned, with 2,755 inhabitants killed and 11,933 houses destroyed in the city.
Following World War II, the city was rebuilt, and Sendai became a vital transportation and logistics hub for the Tōhoku region with the construction of major arteries such as theTōhoku Expressway andTōhoku Shinkansen.
In the early 1950s, theUnited States Army, Japan operated Camp Schimmelpfennig and Camp Sendai in the city.
Sendai has been subject to several major earthquakes in recent history, including the1978 Miyagi earthquake, which was a catalyst for the development of Japan's current earthquake resistance standards, and the2005 Miyagi earthquake. Most recently, the coastal area of Sendai, includingSendai Airport, was severely damaged in the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[2][3][4][6][7] The tsunami reportedly reached as far asWakabayashi Ward Office, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) from the coastline. Thousands were killed, and countless more were injured and/or made homeless. Sendai's port was heavily damaged and temporarily closed, reopening on 16 April 2011.[8]
Gallery
Sendai City War Reconstruction Memorial Hall
An aerial view of Sendai harbour after the earthquake, 12 March 2011
Sendai is located at lat. 38°16'05" north, long. 140°52'11" east. The city's area is 788.09 km2 (304.28 sq mi), and stretches from thePacific Ocean to theŌu Mountains, which are the east and west borders of Miyagi Prefecture. As a result, the city's geography is quite diverse. Eastern Sendai is a plains area, the center of the city is hilly, and western areas are mountainous. The highest point in the city isMount Funagata which stands 1,500 metres (4,921 feet)above sea level. Unique among Japan's large coastal cities, Sendai's city core is built on a terrace at 40–60 m (131–197 ft) elevation.
The Sendai basin area is 939 km2 (363 sq mi) (the mountainous area is 675 km2 (261 sq mi), the plain area is 245 km2 (95 sq mi) and the water body is 20 km2 (8 sq mi)). The basin consists of urban areas, paddy fields and forests. The mid and upstream areas have forests. TheNatori River flows through the area and reaches Sendai Bay after 55 km (34 mi).[9]
TheHirose River (広瀬川,Hirose-gawa) flows 45 kilometres (28 miles) through Sendai. The river is well known as a symbol of Sendai, especially because it appears in the lyrics of Aoba-jō Koi-uta (青葉城恋唄; literally,The Aoba Castle Love Song), a popular song sung by Muneyuki Satō.Aoba Castle was built close to the river to use the river as a naturalmoat. The river frequently flooded until the 1950s, but dams and levees constructed in the 1960s and 1970s have made such floods rare.
Most mountains in Sendai are dormant volcanoes, much older than the more famousMount Zaō andNaruko volcanoes in nearby municipalities. However, manyhot springs can be found in the city, indicatinghydrothermal activity. The Miyagi Okiearthquake occurs offshore Sendai once every 25 to 40 years. The 7.2 magnitude2005 Miyagi earthquake, which occurred on August 16, 2005, had an epicenter close to theMiyagi Oki earthquake area. However, the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion concluded that it was not theMiyagi Oki earthquake, saying "...the recent event is not thought to be this earthquake. This is because the magnitude of the earthquake was small, and the source area, which was estimated from the aftershock distribution and seismic waves, didn't cover the whole expected source region. Although, the recent event ruptured a part of the focal region of the expected earthquake."[10] In 2011, the 9.0 magnitude2011 Tōhoku earthquake occurred offshore Sendai, resulting in a devastating tsunami.
Sendai has fivewards ("ku"), which were created when it became adesignated city in 1989. The city consciously avoided names that included directions (e.g., north北, center中央) when it chose names for the new wards.
Sendai has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa), which features warm and wet summers, and cool and dry winters. Sendai summers are not as hot asTokyo to the south, while the winters are much milder thanSapporo to the north, but retains significant seasonal differences in temperature and rainfall. Extremes range from −11.7 to 37.4 °C (10.9 to 99.3 °F). Of Japan's prefectural capitals, Sendai experiences the fewest days of extreme temperatures (highs outside 0–30 °C (32–86 °F)) at 19.6 per year, compared to Tokyo's average of 49.
Winters are cool and relatively dry, with January temperatures averaging 1.5 °C (34.7 °F). Snowfall is much lower than cities on theSea of Japan coast, such asNiigata andTottori. Summers are very warm and much of the year's precipitation is delivered at this time, with an August average of 24.1 °C (75.4 °F). The city is rarely hit bytyphoons, and experiences only 6 days with more than 10 centimetres (4 in) of rainfall on average. Sendai'smonsoon season usually begins in late April to early October, which is later than in most cities in Japan. During this season, cold winds from the Okhotsk air mass, called "Yamase", blow in and depress daytime highs.[11]
Climate data for Sendai (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1926−present)
As of 1 March 2023[update], the city had an estimated population of 1,097,407 and a population density of 1,397 persons per km2.[1] The city's total area was 786.35 km2.
The 2000 National Census revealed that 88.5% of the city's population (892,252 people) lived in a 129.69 km2 area, which is 16.6% of the city's total area. The population density in this area was 6,879.9 persons per km2, more than 5 times higher than the city's average population density at that time, 1,286.6 persons per km2. Approximately 10,000 people in Sendai were non-Japanese citizens.
Sendai had 525,828 households in 2020. The average household had approximately 2.07 members. The average household was becoming smaller every year, because single-member households were increasing. At this time Sendai had more people in their early 50s and in their 20s and early 30s than in other age groups. This is a result of the first and second baby booms in Japan, and university students. The average age in Sendai is 38.4, which makes the city one of the youngest major cities in Japan.[14]
Sendai's political system is similar to other cities in Japan, because theLocal Autonomy Law makes all municipalities uniform in terms of organization and power. However, Sendai is a designated city, so it has the same jurisdiction asprefectures in some areas.
Sendai has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city legislature. TheSendai City Assembly members are elected from 5 elective districts, which correspond to the city's 5 wards. The number of assembly members allocated to each ward is based upon population. As of May 2005, the city has 60 assembly members; 17 from Aoba Ward, 11 from Miyagino, 8 from Wakabayashi, 13 from Taihaku, and 11 from Izumi. The City Assembly elects an Assembly Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. Sendai has two vice mayors, who are not elected by the populace. Miyagi contributes 24 seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Miyagi 1st district and the Miyagi 2nd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
Sendai is the center of the Tōhoku region's economy, and is the base of the region's logistics and transportation. TheGDP in Greater Sendai, SendaiMetropolitan Employment Area (1.6 million people), is US$61.7 billion in 2010.[15][16] Sendai city by itself has a nominal GDP of approximately US$50 billion as of 2015[update].[17] The city's economy heavily relies upon retail and services – the two industries provide approximately two thirds of the employment and close to half of the establishments.
Sendai is frequently called a branch-office economy[by whom?], because very few major companies are headquartered in the city. Various authorities are cooperating to alleviate this problem, primarily by encouraging high-tech ventures fromTohoku University, which is well known for its science and engineering departments. There are also incentives for startups available from the prefectural government.[18]
Sendai's economic growth rate has stabilized since the 2011 Japan earthquake. The growth rate was only 0.4% in 2011 after the quake created economic turmoil in coastal areas. The year after, in 2012 the rate spiked to 10.4% after reconstruction efforts. It has since fallen to a closer trend to what is expected of 3.7% in 2013.[19]
Tourism in 2016 attracted an estimated 2.229 million visitors to Sendai.[19]
The city is served bySendai Airport (located in neighboringNatori), which has international flights to several countries, and the Port of Sendai. A rail link to Sendai began service on March 18, 2007.Ibex Airlines headquarters is also located near the airport.
JR East'sSendai Station is the main transport hub for the city. The station is served by seven JR lines and is a major station on theTōhoku andAkita Shinkansen lines. An underground passage connects the station to theSendai Subway. The subway has two lines—Namboku ("north-south") andTōzai ("east-west") with a total of 30 stations. When completed in 2015,Yagiyama station became the highest-elevated subway station in the country, at 136.4 meters (448 ft).
TheTōhoku Expressway runs north–south through western Sendai, and is connected to other highways, such as the Sendai-Nambu Road, Sendai-Tobu Road, Sanriku Expressway (Sendai-Matsushima Road), and Sendai Hokubu Road.
Sendai Tanabata FestivalSendai Pageant of StarlightDainenjiThe Miyagi Museum of Art
The most well-known streets in Sendai, Jozenji-Dori (定禅寺通り) and Aoba-Dori (青葉通り), are both lined withJapanese zelkovas. These are symbols of "The City of Trees". Jozenji-Dori has a promenade and a few sculptures. It is a place of relaxation. Many events and festivals, such as the Sendai Pageant of Starlight and the Jozenji Street Jazz Festival, take place on Jozenji-Dori and in Kōtōdai Park (匂当台公園). Aoba-Dori is the main business road in Sendai. Other major roads in the city include Hirose-Dori (ginkgo), and Higashi-Nibancho-Dori.
The mostfamous festival in Sendai is Tanabata, which attracts more than 2 million visitors every year and is the largestTanabata Festival in Japan.[23] It is relatively quiet compared to other traditional Japanese festivals, because its main attractions are intricate Tanabata decorations.
The Aoba Matsuri Festival follows more typical Japanese festival traditions, with amikoshi,floats, a samurai parade, and traditional dancing.[24]
Local people burn theirNew Year decorations and pray for health in the new year during the Dontosai Festival, the oldest festival in Miyagi Prefecture.
Various contemporary festivals also take place in Sendai, such as the Jōzenji Streetjazz Festival, the Michinoku Yosakoi Festival, and the Sendai Pageant of Starlight. The Jōzenji Streetjazz Festival is one of the largest amateur music festivals in Japan. It began as a jazz festival in 1991, but soon began to accept applications from all genres. The Michinoku Yosakoi festival is a dance festival, derived from theYosakoi Festival that takes place inKōchi. Trees in downtown Sendai are decorated with lights during the Sendai Pageant of Starlights. The event provided the idea for the Festival of Lights annually held inRiverside, Sendai's sister city. In 2005, the streets were lit up with one million miniature bulbs.
Sendai is the origin of several foods, includinggyūtan (beef tongue, usually grilled),hiyashi chūka (cold Chinese noodles), androbatayaki (Japanese-style barbecue). However, robatayaki was later introduced toKushiro, which developed and popularized the dish. As a result, many people believe Kushiro is the origin of Robatayaki. Zundamochi (ずんだ餅,mochi balls with sweet, bright green edamame paste), and sasakamaboko (笹かまぼこ,kamaboko shaped like bamboo leaves) are also considered to be Sendai specialties. Sendai is also known for goodsashimi,sushi, andsake. This is because Sendai is near several major fishing ports, such asKesennuma,Ishinomaki, andShiogama, and the fact that Miyagi Prefecture is a major producer ofrice. There are manyramen restaurants in Sendai, and the area is known for a particular spicymisoramen. Also, Sendai station offers the most types ofekiben of any station in Japan. In autumn, many people organise Imonikai, a sort of picnic by the river which involves making a potato stew calledImoni. In winter, restaurants offerseri-nabe (せり鍋), a regional specialty that consists ofseri and various ingredients mixed in a hotpot.[25][26][27][28][29]
Many crafts from Sendai were originally created under the influence of the Date family during theEdo period. Examples are Sendai Hira, a hand woven silk fabric, Tsutsumiyaki pottery, andYanagiu Washi paper. However, some crafts, such as umoregi zaiku (crafts created from fossil wood) were developed by low-ranking samurai who needed side jobs to survive.Kokeshi dolls were popularized by hot spring resorts that sold them as gifts. Some relatively recent developments include Sendai Tsuishulacquerware and Tamamushinuri lacquerware, both of which were developed after theMeiji Restoration.
Sendai was also known for its production ofTansu, clothing drawers made from wood with elaborate ironwork.
Newer historical sites include the former home ofDoi Bansui, a famous lyricist, and a monument at Sendai City Museum that commemorates the Chinese writerLu Xun. Another statue of Lu Xun can be found in the Tohoku University Katahira Campus, where Lu Xun studied medical science. Older historical sites include the Tōmizuka Tomb, a tomb that dates back to the late 4th century or early 5th century, and the Tomizawa Preserved Forest site, where the excavated remains of aStone Age human settlement (Upper Palaeolithic – roughly 20,000 years ago) have been protected by a large museum structure, built in 1996. The nearbySite of Tagajō was an important early fort and administrative centre.
TheMiyagi Museum of Art is Sendai's largest art museum. A total of 24 sculptures have been installed in public locations in Sendai through its 'City of Sculptures' project.
TheSendai City Tomizawa Site Museum in the southern part of the city preserves a fossilized forest where the remains of human habitation from 20,000 years ago can be seen.[30]
The Sendai City War Reconstruction Memorial Hall is dedicated to remembering the air raid of July 1945 in which most of Sendai was destroyed.[31]
Western Sendai is home to many sites of natural beauty, many of them found around Akiu Onsen andSakunami, which arehot spring resorts. Sites around the Akiu area include theAkiu Great Falls, sometimes counted as one of Japan's three great waterfalls, and the Rairai Gorge, known for its autumn colours. The Futakuchi Gorge contains waterfalls that have been designated as natural monuments and the Banji Cliffs, an example ofcolumnar basalt.[33]
The Sakunami area is also known for its natural environment, withcherry blossoms in the spring, and autumnal colours. The nearby Hōmei Shijuhachi Taki Falls is the name of waterfalls found in the higher reaches of the Hirose River. The origin of the name "Hōmei" (鳳鳴, "Chinese phoenix cry") is said to come from ancient local inhabitants' claim that the sound of the waterfalls was similar to the legendary bird's call.
The Tatsunokuchi Gorge offers a view of apetrified wood next to the Otamaya-bashi bridge. Nishi Park and Tsutsujigaoka Park are appreciated for their cherry blossom in the spring. The Hirose River and the Gamo tideland are home to diverse wildlife.
Sendai Mediatheque is a multipurpose facility that houses the city library, galleries, and film studio facilities open for use by the general public. The building was designed byToyo Ito and is known for its innovative architecture.[34]
The AER Building, Miyagi Prefectural Office, and SS30 Building have observation decks that offer panoramic views. The Sendai Trust Tower is the tallest building in Tohoku andHokkaido.[citation needed]
Uminomori Aquarium opened in July 2015, built near the Port of Sendai.[35]
TheSendai Daikannon is an approximately 100 m (328 ft) highKannon statue. The statue was built during Japan'sbubble economy by a now defunct company. It was once the tallest statue in the world.
The Catholic Church has been associated with Sendai since 1613, the year in whichDate Masamune,daimyō of Sendai, built a galleon to send anembassy to the Pope in Rome headed byHasekura Tsunenaga.[36] Although the embassy was successful in its aim of establishing relations with the Holy See, Masamune's plans were frustrated by the suppression of Christianity in Japan. TheDiocese of Sendai (previously the Diocese of Hakodate) was established in 1891, only two years after the promulgation of a new constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion in Japan, in 1889. The Bishop of Sendai currently oversees the four northern prefectures of Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwate and Aomori, serving 11,152 Catholics in 56 parishes. Mototerakoji, the Cathedral of the diocese, is located a few blocks north of Sendai Station.
Although theLotte Orions briefly used Sendai as a temporary home for the franchise from 1973 to 1977, the city was largely ignored by professional sports until 1994. In that year, theTohoku Electric Powerfootball team was changed into a club team, Brummel Sendai, with the goal of eventually being promoted into theJ.League. The team achieved this goal when the J. League expanded in 1999 with the creation of a second division. The name of the team was simultaneously changed toVegalta Sendai. Currently the city also host semi-professional outfitSony Sendai FC.
Annual sporting events include the Sendai Cup, an international football tournament for U-18 teams, and the Sendai InternationalHalf Marathon. In 2006 of the Sendai International half marathon, Mizuki Noguchi, who won the women's marathon gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, took part in and won the race in a surprising course record.
Sendai has a long history of international relationships. Its affiliation withRiverside, California dates back to March 9, 1957. Sendai istwinned with:[37]
^Chen, Yangbo (1 September 2004). "Study Basin".GIS and Remote Sensing in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment. International Association of Hydrological Sciences. pp. 392–393.ISBN978-1901502725.
^【仙台名物】今が旬！セリ鍋がうまい店6選 [[Sendai specialty] Now in season! 6 restaurants serving delicious parsley hotpot].S-style Web (in Japanese). Retrieved2025-03-06.
^水芹火鍋 [Celery Hotpot].tw.visitmiyagi.com (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved2025-03-06.
^名取のせり鍋特集 宮城仙台のご当地グルメ [Special feature on Natori's parsley hotpot: Local gourmet food in Sendai, Miyagi].www.kankou.natori.miyagi.jp. Retrieved2025-03-06.
^〔仙台グルメ〕仙台せり鍋【冬】 [[Sendai Gourmet] Sendai Japanese parsley hotpot [Winter]].sendaimiyagicp.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved2025-03-06.
^せり鍋 [Japanese parsley hotpot].sendaimiyagicp.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved2025-03-06.
^「Ｍ県Ｓ市杜王町」ジョジョの世界、仙台と一体 原画展開幕、原作者の荒木飛呂彦氏があいさつ ["Morioh Town, S City, M Prefecture" The world of JoJo is integrated with Sendai. Original artwork unveiled, original author Hirohiko Araki gives a speech] (in Japanese).Sankei Shimbun. August 13, 2017. RetrievedOctober 27, 2019.
^Shoji Yamada.Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West. University of Chicago Press. p. 92.ISBN9780226947655.
^サンドウィッチマンの伊達みきおさん、富澤たけしさんへ第2期仙台観光アンバサダーを委嘱しました [Sandwichman's Mikio Date and Takeshi Tomizawa have been appointed as the second Sendai Tourism Ambassadors].city.sendai.jp (in Japanese). City of Sendai. 2024-03-10. Retrieved2024-06-14.
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