The castle hill is partially surrounded by the Hirose river to the north and east, and a steep slope protects the south.

The daimyō residence within the honmaru was built in the flamboyant Momoyama style, and contemporaries compared it with Toyotomi Hideyoshi's legendary Jurakudai Palace in Kyoto.

After completion, the castle served as the headquarters of the Date clan and administrative center of Mutsu Province under the Tokugawa shogunate.

During the Bakumatsu period, the castle was one of the nerve centers of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War, as Date Yoshikuni was leader of the pro-Tokugawa alliance.

In 1931, two of the few remaining structures of the castle, the omotemon gate and the wakiyagura tower, were designated as National Treasures by the Japanese government.

However, these structures and all else in the castle were destroyed completely on 10 July 1945 by the United States during the Bombing of Sendai during World War II.

During the occupation of Japan, the castle site came under the control of the United States Army, which razed any remaining Edo period-structures.