Possible Route to Sendai Castle Uncovered in Japan

SENDAI, JAPAN—The Mainichi reports that stone wall foundations that may have been part of an original route leading to Sendai Castle’s Tatsumi Gate have been unearthed in northeastern Japan. Completed in A.D. 1637, the castle served as an administrative center, and was frequently rebuilt after fires and earthquakes until what remained was completely destroyed during the World War II bombing of Sendai. An official from the city’s Municipal Board of Education said two routes to the castle are known to have been depicted on an Edo period (A.D. 1603–1868) map. Another section of wall measuring about 65 feet long was uncovered near the gate site earlier this year. However, this section does not align with the newly uncovered section of wall, which measures about 13 feet long. Nineteenth-century porcelain recovered at the site suggests the shorter stretch of wall may have been built at a later date. To read about another discovery in Japan, go to "Samurai Nest Egg."