Sendai and Matsushima: Date Masamune's City, Pine Islands and Beef Tongue

Sendai is the largest city in Japan's Tohoku region, yet it feels more like a green, well-planned town than a big metropolis. Zelkova trees line its main avenues, earning it the nickname City of Trees, and its story begins with one of the most colorful figures of the samurai age, Date Masamune. A short train ride away, Matsushima Bay scatters about 260 pine-covered islands across calm water, one of Japan's celebrated Three Views.

Together, the two make a classic Tohoku gateway trip. Sendai offers history, shopping and food, including its famous grilled beef tongue, while Matsushima offers a gentle coastal day of temples and boat rides. This guide explains how the founder shaped the city, what to see in each place, and how to fit both into a short stay.

Date Masamune and the Making of Sendai

Date Masamune lived from 1567 to 1636. He lost the use of his right eye to smallpox as a child, which led to his nickname, the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he began building a castle and a new castle town on the plateau above the Hirose River, and he developed what had been a small settlement into a large, prosperous city.

Masamune was also outward-looking. He funded a ship, the San Juan Bautista, that carried Hasekura Tsunenaga and a delegation of about 180 people to Rome by way of the Philippines, Mexico and Spain. His interest in trade and in the wider world left a mark on the city's identity.

Aoba Castle and the Old Sendai Sites

Aoba Castle, also called Sendai Castle, sits on a hill overlooking the city. Its stone walls reach about 15 meters in places, and the site gives a panoramic view of Sendai. Fires and earthquakes damaged the castle over the centuries, and the surviving structures were lost in a bombing raid on July 10, 1945. Since then, stone bases, walls and a few wooden structures have been rebuilt, and the grounds are a pleasant place to walk.

Another important site is Osaki Hachimangu, a shrine whose main building was constructed in 1607 under Date Masamune. It is a National Treasure and an outstanding example of the Momoyama style, a bold and colorful building tradition of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. For a quiet visit, explore the shrine's approach early in the day, when it is calm.

Zuihoden: The Mausoleum of the Date Clan

Zuihoden is the mausoleum of Date Masamune and his heirs. Masamune died in 1636, and the Zuihoden was built the following year. It was damaged in 1945 and later rebuilt in the original Momoyama style, with the main hall reconstructed in 1979 and repaired in 2001. Its carved details and rich colors show the era's taste for decoration, and the setting among tall trees is peaceful.

Allow about an hour for the mausoleum and its grounds. A nearby hall called the Zennoden was built for Date Tsunamune, a later lord of the clan. The site gives visitors a feel for the pride of a domain that played a central role in the north.

Gyutan: Sendai's Beef Tongue

Gyutan, grilled beef tongue, is the city's best-known dish. It began in 1948, when Sano Keishiro, who ran a yakitori restaurant, opened a restaurant called Tasuke to serve tongue dishes. It was originally seasoned with salt, and the traditional set meal comes with barley rice, tail soup and pickles.

Gyutan restaurants are easy to find around Sendai Station, and many offer a teishoku (set meal) that makes a good lunch. The slices are grilled until they have a firm, satisfying chew and a clean flavor. Other local foods worth trying include zunda, a sweet paste made from edamame, and fresh seafood, especially oysters, from nearby coastal waters.

Sendai Tanabata and Seasonal Highlights

The Sendai Tanabata Festival is held every year from August 6 to 8, with a fireworks show on August 5. Tanabata has been celebrated in the Sendai area since Date Masamune's time, and the city's version is the most famous in Japan, drawing over two million visitors. Large paper streamers called fukinagashi hang in shopping arcades, each decorated by hand.

Seven traditional ornaments carry wishes: paper strips for writing wishes, paper kimono, cranes for long life, purses for good business, nets for good fishing, trash bags for cleanliness and streamers for weaving skill. Outside the festival, Jozenji Street's zelkova trees glow green in summer and gold in autumn.

Matsushima: Pines, Islands and Temples

Matsushima Bay is counted as one of the Three Views of Japan, along with Miyajima and Amanohashidate. About 260 small, pine-covered islands dot the bay, and the name combines shima (island) and matsu (pine). The town of Matsushima is about 14 kilometers from Sendai, roughly 30 minutes by the JR Senseki Line to Matsushima-Kaigan Station, which is close to the main temples and waterfront.

Four traditional viewpoints, Otakamori, Tomiyama, Ogitani and Tamonzan, offer different perspectives on the bay, while sightseeing boats from the port weave between the islands. Zuigan-ji, about five minutes on foot from the station, was rebuilt by Date Masamune between 1604 and 1609, and its main hall is a National Treasure. Entsu-in and the tea house Kanrantei are nearby. Matsushima's oyster farms add a seasonal treat, and the islands helped shelter the town in 2011.

Inside Zuigan-ji

Zuigan-ji belongs to the Myoshin-ji branch of Rinzai Zen, and its main image is Sho Kannon Bosatsu, a form of the bodhisattva of compassion. Tradition dates the temple's founding to 828 and credits the monk Ennin, though written records from that early period are scarce. What visitors see today comes mainly from Date Masamune's rebuilding, for which timber was brought from distant mountains and craftsmen came from Kyoto and the Kii region.

The Hondo (main hall), completed in 1609 as the abbot's quarters, was designated a National Treasure in 1953, and the kitchen and connecting corridor date from the same year. Major repairs ran from 2008 to 2018, so the buildings are in fine condition today. Inside, statues of the Five Wisdom Kings are carved from zelkova wood, and the temple stayed largely undamaged in 2011.

Plan Your Visit

Sendai has about 1.1 million residents and is the main hub of the region. Its station is served by seven JR lines and by the Tohoku and Akita Shinkansen, and a railway arrived as early as 1887, bringing Tokyo within a day's travel for the first time. Today that same station makes the city an easy base for Matsushima, Yamadera, Zao and other Tohoku destinations, with plenty of hotels and restaurants within walking distance.

From Tokyo, the Tohoku Shinkansen reaches Sendai in about an hour and a half. Local lines and buses connect Sendai Station to the sights, and the Senseki Line takes you to Matsushima. Many visitors spend one night in Sendai and a day in Matsushima, while a day trip from Sendai is also practical. Check current hours for Zuigan-ji, the Zuihoden and the boat cruises, as schedules change with the season.

Spring and autumn bring comfortable temperatures and the best colors, while summer brings Tanabata and winter brings crisp, clear days. Each November Zuigan-ji hosts a Basho Festival. Wear comfortable shoes for the temple grounds and bring a light jacket for the boat deck, since sea breezes can be cool. Allow enough time at the water to take in the islands unhurriedly.