Nestled in the heart of Sendai, Tenmangū Shrine is known not just for its history, but for the breathtaking plum trees that bloom here every year. The connection between plum blossoms and this shrine dates back to its deity, Sugawara no Michizane, the patron of scholarship and the arts. Legend says that Michizane loved plum trees so much that one—known as the Flying Plum Tree—is said to have followed him into exile. Since then, the plum has become a sacred symbol at Tenmangū shrines across Japan.