Osaki Hachimangu Shrine in Sendai City

Osaki Hachimangu Shrine

Osaki Hachimangu was originally built in the early ninth century.
It used to be located in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture. It was revered as the guardian deity of the Osaki Family, who governed that area during the Muromachi Age.

When DATE Masamune built Sendai Castle in 1604, he moved Osaki Hachimangu to the northwest of Sendai Castle to be revered as the guardian deity of the DATE Family and Sendai Castle.

The first "Torii" gate of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine is located along a main street. The "Torii" gate is very huge. It seems more than 10 meters in height.

If you go through the first "Torii" gate, you will find the second "Torii" gate at the foot of a hill. The second "Torii" gate was built in 1607, when DATE Masamune moved the shrine to the current place.

It was in October when I visited Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, and colored fallen leaves of ginkgo trees covered the ground in yellow. It looked just like a yellow carpet. The shadow of the sacred straw rope of the "Torii" gate was impressive.

You will go up stone steps to the main hall of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine located on the hill.

In front of the main hall, "Nagatoko" is located. The architecture is very simple. A shrine maiden was sweeping clean the precincts of the shrine. The scene was very impressive.

Finally, the main hall of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine is located behind "Nagatoko".

In contrast to "Nagatoko", the main hall was very gorgeous. The architecture is representative of "Azuchi-Momoyama" style, and is similar to that of "Zuihoden", the imperial mausoleum of DATE Masamune. The main hall and "Nagatoko" are designated as a national treasure and an important property of Japan, respectively.

On January 14th, the "Donto-Sai" festival is held at Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, to pray for safety of the family and state of perfect health over the year. This festival is very popular for Sendai citizens. Approximately 100,000 people come to the festival every year.

How to get there
Take a bus at the #10 and #15 bus stops to the west side of Sendai Station. You can get off a bus at the "Osaki Hachimangu Mae" bus stop. Or, take a JR Senzan Line train to Kunimi Station. It will take 15 minutes on foot.

Official English Website: http://www.oosaki-hachiman.or.jp/pop/index.html

Other Historical Sites near by:
Ruins of Sendai Castle
Sendai Downtown Area
Zuiho-Den - The Imperial Mausoleum of DATE Masamune
Matsushima Islands