Sendai
Capital of Miyagi Prefecture and largest city in Tōhoku.
Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As a prefecture capital and designated city, it is the region’s primary urban center. The city’s history as a planned settlement began in 1600, when the daimyō Date Masamune relocated to the area after receiving permission from Tokugawa Ieyasu to build a new castle on Aobayama. Masamune ordered the construction of Sendai Castle in December 1600 and the surrounding castle town the following year; the grid plan of central Sendai still reflects his original design. The name “Sendai” was originally written with characters meaning “a thousand generations,” but Masamune changed the kanji to a form that evokes a hermit on a high plateau, inspired by a Chinese poem praising a palace built by Emperor Wen of Han.
Sendai is nicknamed the “City of Trees,” a reputation that predates the Meiji Restoration. Under the feudal Sendai Domain, residents were encouraged to plant trees in their gardens, resulting in many homes, temples, and shrines in the city center having groves that provided wood and everyday materials. Japanese zelkova trees line many of the main thoroughfares. The city hosts the Sendai Tanabata Festival in summer, the largest Tanabata celebration in Japan, and in winter the trees are illuminated with thousands of lights throughout most of December. Tohoku University, one of the former Imperial Universities, is located here; it was founded in 1907 as Tohoku Imperial University and became the first Japanese university to admit female students in 1913.
Sendai was incorporated as a city on 1 April 1889, with a population of 86,000. It grew through seven annexations between 1928 and 1988, became a designated city on 1 April 1989, and exceeded one million residents in 1999. The first railway line connecting Sendai to Tokyo opened in 1887, and the Senseki Line to Sendai Station became Japan’s first underground railway segment in 1925. During World War II, much of the historic center was destroyed by bombing on 10 July 1945, killing 2,755 people and destroying 11,933 houses. Postwar reconstruction included major transportation arteries such as the Tōhoku Expressway and Tōhoku Shinkansen. On 11 March 2011, coastal areas of Sendai suffered catastrophic damage from a magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake and tsunami, which severely damaged Sendai Airport and the port, kill
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Tōhoku
- Known for
- City of Trees, Sendai Tanabata Festival, Tohoku University
Lore & Background
Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, is a designated city located in Japan’s Tōhoku region. Nicknamed the “City of Trees,” this reputation predates the Meiji Restoration, originating from the feudal Sendai Domain’s practice of encouraging residents to plant trees in their gardens, resulting in many homes, temples, and shrines in the central area having groves used for wood and materials. Japanese zelkova trees line many of the city’s main thoroughfares, such as Jōzenji-dōri and Aoba-dōri. The city’s defining characteristics include its grid-plan roads in the modern center, based on plans laid out by the daimyō Date Masamune after he founded the city in 1600. Sendai is home to Tohoku University, one of the former Imperial Universities, which became the first Japanese university to admit female students in 1913. The city hosts the largest Tanabata festival in Japan during summer, while in winter the trees are decorated with thousands of lights throughout December. Coastal areas suffered catastrophic damage from the 2011 magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which reportedly reached as far as Wakabayashi Ward Office, 8 kilometers from the coastline.
Reader's Guide
Sendai serves as the political, economic, and cultural hub of the Tōhoku region. Its modern history began in 1600 when the daimyō Date Masamune, dissatisfied with his previous stronghold, relocated to this central location on the major road from Edo. He constructed a castle on Aobayama and laid out the grid-plan roads that still define central Sendai. The city’s nickname, “City of Trees,” predates the Meiji Restoration, originating from the feudal domain’s encouragement of residents to plant trees in their gardens, which provided wood and materials. The first railway line to Tokyo opened in 1887, and Tohoku University, founded in 1907, became Japan’s first university to admit female students in 1913. The city hosts the largest Tanabata festival in Japan each summer, and in winter, its zelkova trees are lit with thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight. Sendai’s geography stretches from the Pacific coast to the Ōu Mountains. On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami caused catastrophic damage to coastal areas, including Sendai Airport, with the tsunami reaching as far inland as Wakabayashi Ward Office. The city’s port was heavily damaged and temporarily closed, reopening in April 2011.
Did You Know?
- Sendai is nicknamed the City of Trees (杜の都, Mori no Miyako) and has Japanese zelkova trees lining main thoroughfares such as Jōzenji Street and Aoba Street.
- The Sendai Tanabata Festival is the largest Tanabata festival in Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sendai known for?
The city is most recognized for its lush tree-lined streets, the vibrant annual Sendai Tanabata Festival, and the presence of Tohoku University, one of the region's leading institutions of higher learning.
Where is Sendai located?
Sendai sits in the northern part of Honshu within the Tōhoku region, serving as the administrative seat of Miyagi Prefecture and the area's principal metropolitan hub.
Why is Sendai important?
As the largest city in Tōhoku, Sendai functions as the region's economic, cultural, and educational anchor. Its founding by Date Masamune gave it a distinct historical identity, and today it remains a major center for research, commerce, and tourism in northern Japan.
More in Asian Cities 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record