Zuihoden Mausoleum
landmark
Zuihoden Mausoleum
瑞鳳殿
Overview
Date Masamune's ornate mausoleum hidden in ancient cedar forest above Sendai.
The lavishly decorated mausoleum of Date Masamune, Sendai's founding warlord, sits hidden in a thick cedar forest on a hillside above the city. The reconstruction faithfully reproduces the original 1637 Momoyama-style architecture with vivid gold, black lacquer, and polychrome phoenix carvings. Climbing the stone-lantern-lined approach through ancient cryptomeria trees feels like entering a different century.
Local tips
The mausoleum of Date Masamune (1567-1636), the daimyo who built Sendai into a major castle town. The original structure was destroyed in the 1945 firebombing of Sendai; the current building is a 1979 reconstruction based on pre-war architectural surveys, with vivid lacquerwork and carved phoenixes on the facade. The excavation findings from the original tomb are displayed in an adjacent museum. The approach path through cedar forest takes about 10 minutes from the ropeway base.
Practical info
- Japanese name
- 瑞鳳殿
- Nearest station
- Aoba-dori Station (15 min walk)
- Payment
- Cards accepted
- Reservations
- not required
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