Sendai, Miyagi

See Sendai (disambiguation) for other places whose name is Sendai

Sendai (仙台市; -shi) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tohoku (northeast) region. The city has a population of 1 million and is one of Japan's 14 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the daimyo Date Masamune, and is well known by its nickname, the "City of Trees" (杜の都; Mori no Miyako).

History

Although the Sendai area was inhabited as early as 20,000 years ago, the history of Sendai as a city begins from 1600, when the daimyo Date Masamune relocated to Sendai.

Masamune was not happy with his previous stronghold, Iwadeyama. Iwadeyama was located to the north of his territories and was also difficult to access from Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Sendai was an ideal location, placed in the center of Masamune's newly defined territories, upon a major road from Edo, and near the sea. Tokugawa Ieyasu gave Masamune permission to build a new castle in Aobayama, Sendai after the Battle of Sekigahara. Aobayama was the location of a castle used by the previous ruler of the Sendai area. At this time, Sendai was written as 千代 (literally means "a thousand generations"), because a temple with a thousand buddha statues (千体 sentai) used to be located in Aobayama. Masamune changed the kanji to 仙台 (literally means "hermit on a platform"). The kanji was taken from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created by the Emperor Wen of Han China, comparing it to a mythical palace in the Kunlun Mountains. It is said that Masamune chose this kanji so the castle would prosper as long as a mountain inhabited by an immortal hermit. Masamune ordered the construction of Sendai Castle in December 1600 and the construction of the town of Sendai in 1601. The gridlocked roads in present-day central Sendai are based upon his plans.

Sendai was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1889, as a result of the abolition of the Han system. At the time of incorporation, the city's area was 17.45 km² and its population was 86,000. However, the city grew through seven annexations that occurred from 1928 to 1988. The City became a designated city on April 1, 1989. The city's population exceeded one million in 1999.

Sendai became known as The City of Trees (杜の都 Mori no Miyako) at least before World War II. This was because the Sendai han encouraged residents to plant trees in their yards. As a result, many houses, temples, and shrines in central Sendai had household forests (屋敷林 yashikirin), which were used as resources for wood and other everyday materials. Air raids during World War II destroyed much of the greenery, and more was lost during the post-war rehabilitation and growth. Sendai is still well known as The City of Trees, but this is mainly because of massive efforts to restore greenery in the city.

Geography

Sendai is located at lat. 38°16'05" north, long. 140°52'11" west. The city's area is 788.09 km², and stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Ou Mountains, which are the east and west borders of Miyagi Prefecture. As a result, the city's geography is quite diverse. Plains are found in the east, hilly areas are found in the center, and the west of the city is mountainous. The highest point in the city is Mt. Funagata which stands 1,500 m over sea level.

The Hirose-gawa River flows 45 km through Sendai. The river is well-known as a symbol of Sendai, especially because it appears in the lyrics of Aobajo Koiuta (青葉城恋唄; literally, The Aoba Castle Love Song), a popular song sung by Sato Muneyuki. Sendai castle was built close to the river, intending to use it as a natural moat. The river frequently flooded until the 1950s, but dams and levees constructed in the 1960s and 1970s have made such floods rare. The river is now known for its exceptionally clean water and natural beauty, and was selected by Japan's Environment Agency as one of Japan's 100 Great Waters.

The mountains found in Sendai are dormant volcanoes, much older than the more famous Zao and Narugo volcanoes found in nearby municipalities. However, many hot springs can be found in the city, indicating active hydrothermal activity. The Miyagi Oki earthquake occurs offshore Sendai once every 25 to 40 years. The last Miyagi Oki earthquake occurred in 1978.

Climate

Sendai is situated in a temperate climate zone and has a moderate climate. The average year has 16.8 days with a high temperature over 30°C and only 2.2 days with a high temperature below 0°C, which is smaller compared to other major Japanese cities. The city is rarely hit by typhoons, and experiences only 6 days with more than 10cm of snowfall in the average year. Sendai's rainy season usually begins in late June to early July, which is later than most cities in Japan.

Demographics

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 1,020,676 and a density of 1,302.65 persons per km². The city's total area is 788.09 km². Most people in the city live in urban areas close to train and subway stations. The 2000 National Census revealed that 88.5% of the city's population (892,252 people) live in an 129.69 km² area, which is 16.6% of the city's total area. The population density in this area is 6,879.9 persons per km², which is more than 5 times higher than the city's population density at that time, 1,286.6 persons per km². Approximately 10,000 people in Sendai are non-Japanese citizens.

Sendai has 440,759 households as of 2004. The average household has aproximately 2.33 members. The average houshold is becoming smaller every year, because single-member households are increasing. Sendai has many people in their early 50s and in their 20s and early 30s compared to other age groups. This is a result of the first and second baby boom in Japan, and the presence of many young students that study in Sendai. The average age in Sendai is 38.4, which makes the city one of the youngest major cities in Japan.

Wards

Sendai has 5 wards ("ku") since it became a designated city in 1989. The city consciously avoided names that included directions (eg. north 北, center 中央) when it chose names for the new wards.

• Aoba-ku
• Izumi-ku
• Miyagino-ku
• Taihaku-ku
• Wakabayashi-ku

Politics

Sendai's political system is similar to other cities in Japan, because the Local Autonomy Law makes all municipalities uniform in terms of organization and power. However, Sendai is a designated city, so it has the same jurisdiction as a prefectures in some areas.

Sendai's local government is essentially a mayor-council government with a strong mayor system. The mayor is elected from a citywide election. Sendai City Assembly members are elected from 5 elective districts, which correspond to the city's 5 wards. The number of assembly members allocated to each ward is based upon population. As of May 2005, the city has 60 assembly members; 17 from Aoba Ward, 11 from Miyagino, 8 from Wakabayashi, 13 from Taihaku, and 11 from Izumi. The City Assembly elects a Assembly Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. Sendai has two vice mayors, which are not elected by the populace.

Sendai is known to be a relatively liberal area, which tends to favor the Democratic Party in national elections.

Economy

Sendai is the center of the Tohoku region's economy, and is the base of the region's logistics and transportation. The city's economy heavily relies upon retail and services – the two industries provide approximately two thirds of the employment and close to half of the establishments.

Sendai is frequently called a branch office economy, because very few major companies are headquartered in the city. Various authorities are cooperating to alleviate this problem, primarily by encouraging high-tech ventures from Tohoku University, which is well-known for its science and engineering departments. Several high-profile projects, such as the Sendai-Finland Wellbeing Center, have emerged from these attempts, but tangible results in the city's economy and employment are yet to be seen.

Transportation

JR Sendai Station is the center of transportation in the city. The station is served by 8 JR lines and is a major station for the Tohoku and Akita Shinkansen lines. An underground passage connects the station to the Subway Sendai Station.

Sendai has a North-South subway line, one of the most expensive in Japan with a basic fare starting at 200 yen. The city is starting the construction of an East-West line, scheduled for completion in 2014. The East-West line has been criticized for being exessively costly, based upon extremely optimistic estimates, and hostile to the natural environment. Proponets maintain that the new subway line is necessary to prevent urban sprawl, will decrease the city's environmental load by encouraging use of public transportation, and is based upon adequate estimates. The Sendai Shimin Ombudsman has filed a suit against the Mayor of Sendai to prevent construction fees from becoming approved. The suit is pending at the Sendai district courts.

The city is served by Sendai Airport, which has international flights to several countries, and Sendai Port. Contrary to the name, Sendai International Airport is actually in neighboring Natori City, south of the city. Authorities in Sendai and Natori are planning to construct a railway that connects Sendai station and the airport.

The Sendai is surrounded by a network of highways. The Tohoku Expressway runs north-south through western Sendai, and is interconnected to other highways, such as the Sendai Nanbu Road, Sendai Tobu Road, Sanriku Expressway (Sendai-Matsushima Road), and Sendai Hokubu Road.

Culture

Sendai is the home of Tohoku University. Famous products from Sendai include gyuutan (牛タン), thinly sliced grilled cow tongue; sasakamaboko (笹かまぼこ), a type of fish sausage wrapped in leaf; and zundamochi (ずんだ餅), mochi balls served with bright green edamame paste.

Festivals

• Dontosai Festival (fire festival at shrine)
• Aoba Matsuri Festival (Samurai style parade)
• Sendai Tanabata Festival (Tanabata)
• Johzenji Streetjazz Festival
• Sendai Pageant of Starlight

Sports

• Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
• Vegalta Sendai

Domestic Sister Cities

• Taketa
• Nakano
• Tokushima
• Uwajima
• Shiraoi

International Sister and Friendship cities

Sendai has a long history of international sister city relationships. Its affiliation with Riverside on March 9, 1957 is the second oldest sister city relationship between Japanese and American cities, second only to Nagasaki and Saint Paul. Relationships with Changchun and Dallas are called friendship cities, but do not differ from sister city relationships.

• Riverside (United States)
• Rennes (France)
• Minsk (Belarus)
• Acapulco (Mexico)
• Changchun (China)
• Dallas (United States)
• Gwangju (Korea)

External links

• Official website in Japanese
• Wikitravel: Sendai