Rinnoji Temple
In 1441, DATE Mochimune, the 11th lord of the DATE family founded this temple in Yanagawamachi, Date (Fukushima Prefecture), as the family (Bodaiji) temple of the wife (Ranteimeigyokuzenni) of the ninth lord DATE Masamune.
It was shifted between various places by the DATE family before finally being moved to its current location in 1602.
Except for the main gate, the temple was entirely burnt down in the Great Kitayama Fire in 1876, but began to be reconstructed in 1904 by Buddhist priest Mugai.
The current main hall was rebuilt in 1915.
The Niomon gate is designated as an tangible cultural property of Sendai City.
A traditional tearoom (chashitsu) stands in the middle of the stroll garden, and you can view the three-storied pagoda reflected in the pond.
The periods of July, when the Japanese irises are in full bloom, and mid-October to mid-November, when colored by the autumn leaves, are especially beautiful.
On the north side of the garden is the tomb of IINUMA Sadao (Sadakichi), the only survivor of the Byakkotai (a unit of samurai youth) group suicide from the Aizu clan (Fukushima Prefecture).
There is also the tomb of SHIGA Kiyoshi, Honorary Citizen of Sendai City, who in 1897 discovered the Shigella bacteria at the age of 29.
