See Sendai (disambiguation) for other places whose name is Sendai
Sendai (仙台市; -shi) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan and the largest city in the Tohoku region. It is located on a narrow strip of coast between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains.
History
Although the Sendai area was inhabited as early as 20,000 years ago, the history of Sendai as a city begins from 1600, when the daimyo Date Masamune relocated to Sendai.
Masamune was not happy with his previous stronghold, Iwadeyama. Iwadeyama was located to the north of his territories and was also difficult to access from Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Sendai was an ideal location, placed in the center of Masamune's newly defined territories, upon a major road from Edo, and near the sea. Tokugawa Ieyasu gave Masamune permission to build a new castle in Aobayama, Sendai after the Battle of Sekigahara. Aobayama was the location of a castle used by the previous ruler of the Sendai area. At this time, Sendai was written as 千代 (literally means "a thousand generations"), because a temple with a thousand buddha statues (千体 sentai) used to be located in Aobayama. Masamune changed the kanji to 仙台 (literally means "hermit on a platform"). The kanji was taken from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created by the Emperor Wen of Han China, comparing it to a mythical palace in the Kunlun Mountains. It is said that Masamune chose this kanji so the castle would prosper as long as a mountain inhabited by an immortal hermit. Masamune ordered the construction of Sendai Castle in December 1600 and the construction of the town of Sendai in 1601. The gridlocked roads in present-day central Sendai are based upon his plans.
Sendai was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1889, as a result of the abolition of the Han system. The City became a designated city on April 1, 1989. The city's population exceeded one million in 1999.
Sendai became known as The City of Trees (杜の都 Mori no Miyako) at least before World War II. This was because the Sendai han encouraged residents to plant trees in their yards. As a result, many houses, temples, and shrines in central Sendai had household forests (屋敷林 yashikirin), which were used as resources for wood and other everyday materials. Air raids during World War II destroyed much of the greenery, and more was lost during the post-war rehabilitation and growth. Sendai is still well known as The City of Trees, but this is mainly because of massive efforts to restore greenery in the city.
Wards
Sendai has 5 wards (ku):
- Aoba-ku
-
Izumi-ku
- Miyagino-ku
- Taihaku-ku
- Wakabayashi-ku
Demographics
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 1,020,676 and a density of 1,302.65 persons per km². The total area is 783.54 km².
Culture
Sendai is the home of Tohoku University. Famous products from Sendai include gyuutan (牛タン), thinly sliced grilled cow tongue; sasakamaboko (笹かまぼこ), a type of fish sausage wrapped in leaf; and zundamochi (ずんだ餅), mochi balls served with bright green edamame paste.
Festivals
- Dontosai Festival (fire festival at shrine)
- Aoba Matsuri Festival (Samurai style parade)
- Sendai Tanabata Festival (Tanabata)
- Johzenji Streetjazz Festival
- Sendai Pageant of Starlight
Sports
Transportation
Sendai is a major station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line and home to Sendai Airport , which has international flights to nearby countries. The city has one subway line and is starting the construction of another, scheduled for completion in 2014. The Sendai subway line is among the most expensive in Japan, with basic fare starting at 200 yen.
Domestic Sister Cities
International Sister and Friendship cities
External links
