Aoba Castle (青葉城 Aoba-jō), also known as Sendai Castle (仙台城, Sendai-jō), was the castle of the Date family. Built by Date Masamune atop Mount Aoba, it commanded a highly defensible strategic position overlooking the city of Sendai. The castle was one of the nerve centers of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War, when Date Yoshikuni was lord of Sendai. Taken over by the new government in the aftermath of Sendai's surrender, it was partially dismantled in the 1870s. Many of the remaining buildings on the castle site was damaged in the firebombing of Sendai during World War II, but sections of the castle survived, and a great deal of it, including the stone base, some walls, and some wooden structures, have either been rebuilt or are currently being rebuilt. The castle site also contains a Gokoku Shrine (護国神社, Gokoku-jinja), as well as a large equestrian statue of Date Masamune.