The main avenue of the castle town Masamune laid out in 1601—lined with zelkova trees and hosting a procession of hundreds in armor every May
Founded
1601
Type
Historic Site
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JR仙台駅から徒歩すぐ
宮城県仙台市青葉区青葉通り
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Info
Historic Site
Founded 1601
425 years
Overview
The main zelkova-lined boulevard running east to west through central Sendai, tracing its lineage to the principal street Date Masamune laid out when he established the castle town in 1601. Every May the Sendai Aoba Festival fills this 1.4-kilometer avenue with the Masamune-ko Gyoretsu procession, in which hundreds of participants in full armor recreate the pageantry of the Sengoku era. Revived in…
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Origins
Aoba-dori Avenue traces its origins to 1601, when Date Masamune constructed Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle) and developed Sendai as a castle town. Masamune is said to have envisioned the largest castle town in the Tohoku region, with the axis corresponding to present-day Aoba-dori serving as its central…
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祭
Festivals & Events
— 1
8月
6
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri
Japan's largest Tanabata festival and one of the three great Tohoku festivals. About 3,000 elaborate bamboo decorations adorn the arcades of central Sendai. The intricate washi paper decorations are works of art. The tradition dates back to the time of Date Masamune.