Date Masamune lost an eye as a child, became the most powerful lord in northern Japan and founded Sendai on a hill above the river. In 1613, with Japan about to close itself off, he sent his retainer Hasekura Tsunenaga across two oceans to negotiate with the King of Spain and the Pope. Thirteen stops between the museum that keeps the relics of that embassy, the gate destroyed by bombs, the walls above the cliff, the hall where the lord received his guests, the statue that watches over the city, the gilded mausoleum where he rests, the park by the first bridge, the black-and-gold shrine he commissioned, the media library that withstood the earthquake, the crossroads where the city began, the market of its flavours, the Zen temple he rebuilt at Matsushima and the little pavilion facing the sea where it all came ashore. Approximate audio duration: 22 minutes.
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Sendai: el dragón tuerto del norte que mandó a un samurái a ver al Papa
Date Masamune perdió un ojo de niño, se volvió el señor más poderoso del norte de Japón y fundó Sendai sobre una colina junto al río. En 1613, con Japón a punto de cerrarse al mundo, mandó a su vasallo Hasekura Tsunenaga a cruzar dos océanos para negociar con el rey de España y el Papa. Trece paradas entre el museo que guarda los recuerdos de esa embajada, la puerta que destruyeron las bombas, las murallas sobre el acantilado, el salón donde el señor recibía a sus huéspedes, la estatua que mira la ciudad, el mausoleo dorado donde descansa, el parque junto al primer puente, el santuario negro y dorado que mandó construir, la mediateca que resistió el terremoto, el cruce donde empezaba la ciudad, el mercado de sus sabores, el templo zen que reconstruyó en Matsushima y el pequeño pabellón frente al mar de donde lo había visto llegar todo. Duración aproximada de audio: 22 minutos.
Tour stops
13 stops · ~22 min of audio · 33.27 km on foot (~8 h 20 min walking) · about 8 h 45 min in total
You are in front of the Sendai City Museum, at the foot of Mount Aoba. This ground was the castle's third enclosure, where the lord's guards lived. Inside is kept one of the strangest stories in all of Japan.
In October 1613 a galleon built in Japan sailed from the coast of this domain bound for Mexico. Its name was the San Juan Bautista. On board was a samurai, Hasekura Tsunenaga, sent by his lord, Date Masamune.
With him travelled a Franciscan friar from Seville, Luis Sotelo. The mission was to ask the King of Spain for direct trade with New Spain, and the Pope to send missionaries to nort…
2
The Gate That Did Not Survive 1945
Look at the two-storey white tower with its grey tiled roof at the edge of the road. It is a corner turret. Beside it stood the main entrance to the castle, the Otemon gate.
That gate was enormous, built of dark wood with gilded ornaments, and dated from the castle's early days. In 1931 it was designated a National Treasure. It was the most imposing part of Masamune's fortress still standing.
On the night of 10 July 1945 American bombers attacked Sendai with incendiaries. More than a thousand people died and much of the centre burned. The Otemon gate was destroyed completely.
The tower you …
3
A Wall Above the Cliff
Stop and look up. That wall of fitted stones, leaning back as it rises, holds up the castle's main enclosure. It is about seventeen metres high.
Masamune chose this mountain in 1600, the year of the Battle of Sekigahara. He had sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the winner. As his reward he was allowed to settle in a new place and start from scratch.
The site was almost impregnable. To the east, the Hirose River runs at the bottom of a ravine. To the south, a deep gorge. To the west, mountains and forest. Only the northern side, where you are now, had to be sealed off properly.
The wall you see is…
4
The Hall for Receiving the World
You are on the flat ground of the main enclosure. On the ground, notice the stone markers outlining rectangles. They are the bases of the pillars of the great hall, the Ohiroma.
This hall was completed in 1610. It was neither a barracks nor a residence, but a stage. Here Masamune received his vassals and important visitors, seated at the highest end while the others took their places according to rank.
One of those visitors came in 1611. He was Sebastián Vizcaíno, an explorer sent from New Spain to survey the coasts of Japan. Masamune received him and took an interest in Spanish ships and ro…
5
The One-Eyed Dragon
There he is: Date Masamune on horseback, in black armour with a huge golden crescent moon on his helmet. Behind him spreads the whole city he founded.
He was born in 1567 in Yonezawa, west of here. As a child he caught smallpox and lost the sight of his right eye. Because of that he came to be known as the one-eyed dragon.
He became head of the clan at seventeen and spent his youth at war with his neighbours. In 1589 he defeated the Ashina clan and became the strongest lord in the northeast.
But he arrived too late. By 1590 Toyotomi Hideyoshi already controlled almost all of Japan. Masamune…
6
Gold and Lacquer in the Cedar Forest
You have climbed the stone stairway among towering cedars. In front of you is the Zuihoden, Masamune's mausoleum. Notice the colours: black lacquer, gold, red, green, and eaves carved with flowers and animals.
Masamune died in 1636 in Edo, today's Tokyo, at the age of sixty-eight. His body was brought back to Sendai. The following year his son Tadamune built this mausoleum on the hill Masamune himself had chosen.
The style is that of the late sixteenth century: lavish, glittering, designed to impress. See how every beam is painted and every corner carries a golden detail.
In 1931 the buildi…
7
The River Between the Lord and His City
You are in Nishi Park, on the edge of the terrace that drops down to the Hirose River. Look west: below runs the river and on the far side rises Mount Aoba, covered in trees. You were up there a little while ago.
Down there is the Ohashi bridge. In Masamune's time there was already a bridge at this spot. It was the only direct crossing between the castle and the city.
The idea was clear. The lord lived across the water, up high. The city of samurai, craftsmen and merchants spread out on this side, on the plain.
Masamune laid out the streets in a grid, with the samurai houses close to the ca…
8
The Shrine Masamune Took From His Enemy
You have passed under the stone torii and climbed among the trees. In front of you is the main hall of Osaki Hachimangu. Notice the black lacquer, the gilded reliefs and the bright colours of the carvings.
Masamune had it built in 1607 as protector of his new city. He placed it northwest of the castle, the direction from which misfortune entered, according to the beliefs of the time.
The name has a story. Hachiman is the god of war and of warriors. And Osaki was the name of a clan that had ruled these lands before Masamune. This god had been their protector. Masamune took their lands and the…
9
The City of Trees and the Glass Box
You are on Jozenji-dori avenue, under a double row of tall zelkovas, a tree related to the elm. In front of you rises a glass building: the Sendai Mediatheque.
Sendai has a nickname: the city of trees. It goes back to the days of Masamune and his successors, when samurai houses had gardens with small groves. From the castle the city looked green.
Now look inside the building. Notice the white tubes twisting upward from floor to floor, like hollow trunks. They are the structure: they hold up the floors and carry stairs, lifts and cables.
It was designed by the architect Toyo Ito and opened i…
10
The Crossroads Where It All Began
You are at a crossroads that now looks like any other, among offices and traffic. Look for the inscribed stone on one of the corners. This place is called Basho no Tsuji, the Basho crossroads.
This was the centre of the city Masamune laid out. Here Omachi street, which ran down from the castle, crossed Kokubuncho street. On the four corners stood imposing buildings.
Distances along the domain's roads were measured from this point. The lord's official notices were also posted here for everyone to read.
The name Kokubuncho comes from the Kokubun clan, which ruled this area before Masamune arr…
11
The Flavours of the Date Domain
You are in a narrow alley crowded with stalls: vegetables, fish, oysters, fruit. This is Sendai Asaichi, the morning market, a few blocks from the station. It began as a street market after the war.
Look in the stalls for green soybeans. Crushed with sugar they become zunda, a sweet green paste typical of this region. Here you will find it on rice dumplings or in shakes.
Another taste of Sendai is miso, fermented soybean paste. Local tradition says Masamune had a large storehouse built to make it and supply his soldiers, and that this is where the fame of Sendai miso comes from.
The dish ev…
12
The Temple Masamune Rebuilt by the Sea
You have walked along the approach to Zuiganji temple in Matsushima. To one side, notice the caves cut into the rock. For centuries monks meditated in them and left statues and memorial stones inside.
According to tradition the temple was founded in the ninth century. But what you see is Masamune's work. Between 1604 and 1609 he rebuilt it completely as his family's temple.
To do so he brought timber from the Kumano forests in southern Japan and craftsmen from the Kyoto region. The main hall is a National Treasure. Inside, sliding doors painted on gold show peacocks, pines and flowers.
Noti…
13
Facing the Sea the Galleon Sailed Across
You have crossed the red bridges to the islet. Look down between the planks: there are gaps through which you can see the water. They are deliberate, so that every visitor crosses carefully and arrives with an alert mind.
In front of you is the Godaido, a small wooden pavilion. Masamune rebuilt it in 1604. It is one of the oldest buildings of this period in all of northeastern Japan. Inside are five Buddhist statues shown only once every thirty-three years. The next time will be in 2039.
Now look at the bay, with its more than two hundred pine-covered islands. Beyond lies the Pacific. To the…
How long does the "Sendai: the One-Eyed Dragon of the North Who Sent a Samurai to the Pope" audio tour take?
It has about 22 minutes of audio across 13 stops and a 33.27 km walking route (~8 h 20 min on foot). Plan roughly 8 h 45 min in total, or split it up: you can pause and resume anytime.
Where does the tour start?
At stop 1, "The Samurai Who Went to See the Pope" (coordinates 38.2553, 140.8612). The app guides you from stop to stop with a map.
Is it free?
Trevurs is a free app for iOS and Android. There is also an optional Premium version, from USD 1.99, with unlimited offline downloads, access to every tour and no ads. It also helps keep an independent app alive.
Why use an audio tour instead of a guided group tour?
No group to keep up with and no guide to wait for. Start at any time of day, on your own schedule. Go at your own pace: pause, rewind or skip any stop. No need to commit 2 or 3 hours to a single tour: do one stop or the whole route. Works offline once downloaded.
What languages is this audio guide available in?
This tour is available in Spanish, English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean. Switch languages anytime from inside the app.
Do I need wifi to listen to this tour?
No. Download the tour over wifi before you go, then listen without any data connection.
How do I access this tour?
Download Trevurs on iPhone (App Store) or Android (Google Play), then open Sendai and pick "Sendai: the One-Eyed Dragon of the North Who Sent a Samurai to the Pope". No account required to start.
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No wifi needed · Spanish, English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean
