Zuiho-den

Zuiho-den Review

Not your ordinary cold gray slab of stone memorial, the grand mausoleum of Masamune Date, the most revered ruler of ancient Sendai, was made in the showy style of the Momoyama period (16th century), where figures of people, birds, and flowers are carved and inlaid in natural colors. Looking like the world's fanciest one-story pagoda, there is so much gold leaf that in the right light it practically glows. Having burned during the firebombing in 1945, Zuiho-den was reconstructed in a five-year period beginning in 1974. During the excavation, Masamune Date's well-preserved remains were found and have been reinterred in what appears to be a perfect replica of the original hall. It's a 10-minute walk from the Zuiho-den stop. The mausoleum is a short walk up the hill. From Sendai Castle it's a 10-minute bus ride or a 30-minute walk down Aoba-yama and across the Hirose-gawa (Hirose River).