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Kyogamine used to be known as Hagigasaki located in Kuronuma, Negishi Village, Natori District. It has been said that the name “Kyogamine” originated from the story of Mankai Shonin, a mountain ascetic from the late medieval times who dedicated a sutra (Kyomon in Japanese) at the eastern peak.
Since the Feudal era, Kyogamine was a sacred place where the Date family’s graveyard was located, thus, it was accessible only by certain people. After WWII, Kyogamine was presented to Sendai City (Miyagi Prefecture) from the Date family. It is now managed and maintained by Zuihoden as Sendai City Historic Site “Kyogamine Date Family Graveyard” to preserve the current condition.
The altitude of Kyogamine is 73. 6m. The cedar trees at Kyogamine were planted at the time of the construction of Zuihoden, and the oldest one is 370 years old. The largest cedar tree is 44m in height and 5. 07m in circumference at the ground. 47 of them are 350 years old and older (based on the investigation conducted in 1980), and all the other cedar trees are 200 years old or younger. At Kyogamine, mammals, such as giant flying squirrels (sciurid: they have a nocturnal habit and fly from trees to trees) and Japanese squirrels, and over 40 species of birds, such as Japanese green woodpeckers, can be found. Kestrels can be found at the cliff along River Hirose on the west side of Kyogamine as well.
At the Kyogamine Date Family Graveyard, Zuihoden (the mausoleum of Date Masamune, the founder of the Sendai Domain), Kansenden (the mausoleum of Tadamune, the second feudal lord of the Sendai Domain), Zennoden (the mausoleum of Tsunamune, the third feudal lord of the Sendai Domain), Myounkaibyo (the graveyard for Nariyoshi, the eleventh feudal lord of the Sendai Domain) and his wife, Shibahime) as well as Okosamagobyo (the graveyard for the descendants of the Date family since Yoshimura, the fifth feudal lord) are located.
Kansenden is a mausoleum that was built in 1664 for Date Tadamune, the second feudal lord of the Sendai Domain who died at the age of 60 on July 12, 1658, back in the days of Tsunamura, the fourth feudal lord of the same domain. Kansenden was designated as a national treasure in 1931, however, it was burnt during WWII on July 10, 1945. The current mausoleum was restored in 1985.
Zennoden is a mausoleum that was built in 1716 for Date Tsunamune, the third feudal lord of the Sendai Domain who died at the age of 72 on June 4, 1711, back in the days of Yoshimura, the sixth feudal lord of the same domain. It was heavily damaged during WWII on July 10, 1945. The current mausoleum was restored in 1985.
Dainenjiyama Date Family Graveyard (Mujinbyoto and Hokarinbyo) is where the graveyards of the fourth feudal lord, Date Tsunamura, and onward are located, however, Tsunamura abolished the construction of new mausoleums and ordered to change to stela of a certain size with a roof. Since the fifth feudal lord, Yoshimura, the graves of married couples were located in parallel, and were given the name of “Gobyo” instead of “Mitamaya”. Although the graves of Chikamune, the ninth feudal lord, and Nariyoshi, the eleventh feudal lord, and his wife are located at Myounkaibyo at Kyogamine, these were made in the style of a gravestone for the reason above. On the first year of the Meiji Period, the Date family changed their style of rituals from Buddhism to Shinto, and changed the style of graves to small circular mounds, which they call Tsuchimanju, since Yoshikuni, the 13th feudal lord.
Okosamagobyo was located after 1713, and it is a mausoleum for the children of feudal lords (between the times of Yoshimura, the fifth feudal lord, and Yoshikuni, the thirteenth feudal lord) who died young. Within the same area are seven graves for concubines and elderly women.
If you walk up the slope in front of Zuihoji Temple and walk fifteen more stone steps, you will find yourself at a stone landing that goes on for three steps. The sixty-two steps (currently sixty-three) on the left will lead you to Zuihoden, the fifty-nine steps on the right will take you to Kansenden and Zennoden. The stone steps and the flat stone pavements were made by paving stone slabs very closely. This is a fantastic example of excellent stonecutting. Moreover, we can see the outstanding civil engineering techniques of the Sendai Domain from the stone walls that prevent sediment disasters as Zuihoden, Kansenden and Zennoden were established on a flat land, parts of which were artificially developed.
A Hokyoin-style pagoda, the grave for the fifteen vassals and five under vassals of Date Masamune, including Ishida Shogen, is located to the right of the left side of the main temple of Zuihoden. Another Hokyoin-style pagoda for the twelve vassals and four under vassals of Date Tadamune, including Furuuchi Shuzen, is located to the right of the left side of the main temple of Kansenden.
According to an old document, a stone hut was found from the underground during the graveyard construction for Date Masamune. They discovered staffs and Buddhist beads inside the hut. Okuyama Daigaku, who was the magistrate of the graveyard construction, asked an elderly man from the area, and he found out that this very place was where Mankai Shonin from Yudonosan died. Old drawings show “Mankai Shonin Pagoda” on the north side of the main temple of Zuihoden before it was burnt down, however, it was lost due to the heavy war damage in 1945 and the devastation that followed the event. The current memorial pagoda was located at the site of Zankutsu (a rest space for visitors) on the opposite side of Gokusho (the current Zuihoden History Museum), a place of offerings, in 1989.
An iron-made memorial monument, Chokonhi, is located in the deep on the southern side of the Kyogamine Date Family Graveyard. There was a chaotic upheaval that divided Japan in two at the time of the Meiji Restoration, and it took the name, the Boshin War, from the calendar. The domains in the Tohoku and Hokuetsu regions formed Ouetsu Reppan Alliance for protection and fought against the domains from the western part of Japan, however, the alliance collapsed after three months due to the different quality of weapons and conditions of each domain. The Sendai Domain fought as the leader in Tohoku and Echigo (Niigata Prefecture) and lost 1,260 soldiers. The alliance and the shogunate army lost over 8,000 soldiers in total. Chokonhi was built in 1877 by Date Munemoto as a pinnacle on a stone platform on the site of Zuihoden Bell Tower to grieve for these soldiers. Chokonhi is approximately 4. 5 meters high, and the inscription was done by Fumihiko Otsuki.
“Garyubai (falling dragon plum)” took its name from the way it faces down. It was brought to Sendai by Date Masamune who took part in Hideyoshi’s invasions of Korea. Masamune had his people plant it at Sendai Castle, and moved it to Wakabayashi Castle (Furujiro, Sendai City), which was Masamune’s retreat. “Garyubai” at Zuihoden was layered from “Garyubai” (a designated national natural treasure) in Furujiro to commemorate the reconstruction of Zuihoden.
This is a grave called Muhoto, and it was built for the fourteen vassals who, with their lord’s approval, shaved their hair and prayed for the deceased lord, Tsunamune, for one hundred days although it had been 48 years since Junshi (killing oneself for the death of a deceased lord) was banned. This was a replacement of Junshi, and we call it Gijun, however, Kumagaiitsuki Naokiyo, who was the head of the varlets, left to be a priest and was given the name of Keiso. Naokiyo died at the age of 71 in 1733, and his remains were buried on the southern side of Zennoden.
Zuihoji Temple was built on the approach to Zuihoden as part of its construction as a family temple in 1637 by Date Tadamune. Following this, because Kansenden and Zennoden were established at Kyogamine, Zuihoji Temple had a number of sub-temples and small temples as the Ichimon-level temple in the Feudal era, however, it was closed due to the anti-Buddhist movement that took place at the end of the Meiji era. Today’s Zuihoji Temple was reconstructed in 1926, and it is maintained by a different organization from Zuihoden, an incorporated foundation that maintains Zuihoden, Kansenden and Zennoden.
After the Saigo army surrendered to the Imperial army in the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, they were sent to prisons all over Japan as political offenders. 305 men were imprisoned at Miyagi Prefectural Prison, and they engaged in land cultivation and harbor construction in Miyagi Prefecture, and contributed greatly to the development of Miyagi in the early Meiji era. Thirteen of them died in prison and were buried at Zuihoji Temple. (Source: Miyagi-Kagoshima Natives Committee “Grave of Seven Kagoshima Natives”)
This gate was moved to the precincts of Zuihoji Temple from the residence of Sugino Harashina, a concubine of Date Tsunamune who was involved in Date Sodo at the time. Ranma (a wooden panel) is decorated with “Yukiusu”, which is said to be Tsunamune’s work. “Takao-no-Mon” took its name from one of the characters that appear in “Meiboku Sendaihagi”, a Kabuki drama themed on Date Sodo, thus, it is not related to the actual historical event in any way.