Images: Jcastle.info
仙台藩
Sendai Domain
伊達氏
1600 - 1871
Date Clan
580,000 Koku
仙台城
Sendai Castle is classified as a hilltop castle (its layout: Renkakushiki), and is located in Miyagi Prefecture. During the pre-modern age, it found itself within the borders of Mutsu Province. It is associated with the Date clan. Dates in use: 1602 - 1871.
Many of the typical features that castles employed were absent from its simple design. One reason is that the Date clan were one of the few who enjoyed little or no regulation of their castles by the Shogunate. So, while only this castle may have fallen easily, it was in fact well protected as the Date lands were littered with a network of smaller forts.
While the castle's buildings & defences may not have been so intimidating, it certainly did make great use of its environs to enhance its defences. It is actually located on a plateau, the South & East sides are sheer cliffs, there is deep forest then a mountain range to the West, and the North was protected by the Nino Maru & Sanno Maru defensive rings.
Timeline
1600 | Date Masamune commenced construction of the castle. The walls, gates & turrets of two fortified enclosures were completed 17 months later. |
1610 | The Hiroma Hall of the main enclosure was completed. |
1616 | The walls & turrets were destroyed by an earthquake. |
1638 | Another fortified area, complete with administrative buildings & housing, was built. It was located at the foot of the mountain North of what in now the third enclosure (Sanno Maru.) |
1646 | The rebuilt walls suffered damage & all turrets in the Hon Maru were destroyed. |
1668 | The rebuilt then repaired walls were devastated by an earthquake yet again. |
1683 | The stone walls & foundations (Ishigaki) were repaired. The turrets that were located next to the main gate were rebuilt but on a smaller scale. There were two corner turrets that had collapsed but were not rebuilt. |
1710 | Ishigaki on the western edge of the defences were damaged by another earthquake. |
1804 | Part of the Nino Maru burnt to the ground after a lightning strike. |
1809 | The Nino Maru was reconstructed. |
1871 | The castle was abandoned. |
1882 | Sparked by fireworks, most remaining buildings were lost in a blaze. |
1945 | The remaining Ōte Gate & corner turret were lost in WWII bombing. |
1967 | The corner turret was rebuilt. |
2003 | The site was designated an Historic site. |
2004 | The stone foundations of the main enclosure were restored. |
Historical recognition
Site | National Historic Site |