Sendai City Museum

photo by 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

The portrait of Hasekura, painted in Rome in 1615, is the oldest oil painting of a Japanese person.

The museum stands on the site of the third enclosure (三の丸) of Sendai Castle, and holds the bulk of the Date clan's materials. The rarest piece is the portrait of Hasekura Tsunenaga, the ambassador Date Masamune sent to Rome in 1615: painted in oil during the mission, it is the oldest surviving oil painting of a real Japanese person. The portrait, together with the certificate of Roman citizenship granted to Hasekura and a portrait of Pope Paul V, has been a National Treasure since 2001 and is registered in UNESCO's Memory of the World.

Founded to collect and display the historical heritage of Sendai and of the Date domain, the museum is in the area of the castle's third enclosure, at the foot of the hill where the keep stood. Among the permanent collections, the most important core is that of the ‘Keicho Mission’ (慶長遣欧使節): about 40 objects brought back by Hasekura Tsunenaga on his return from his embassy to the Pope and the King of Spain, between 1613 and 1620, on behalf of the daimyo Date Masamune. Among these, three pieces (the portrait of Hasekura, the portrait of Pope Paul V and the certificate of Roman citizenship) were declared a National Treasure on 22 June 2001 and are registered in UNESCO's Memory of the World. The museum also holds armour that belonged to Date Masamune and to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

ℹ️ Open from 9:00 to 16:45 (last entry at 16:15). Closed on Mondays (except public holidays), on the day after public holidays/bridge days (except weekends, public holidays, 30 April and 13 October), and from 28 December to 4 January. Permanent exhibition ticket: 460 yen for adults and university students, 230 for high school, 110 for elementary and junior high school. Reopened on 2 April 2024 after major renovation work; in 2026 it is listed as open as normal, with exhibitions running (summer permanent exhibition from 30 June, special exhibition on Buddhist painting from 18 September to 8 November).

🚉 International Center · 8 min walk

Sources: city.sendai.jp · city.sendai.jp · city.sendai.jp · city.sendai.jp · wanderkokuho.com · japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp

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