The rumor of believing Masamune as the reincarnation of one-eyed high priest Mankai was widely spread from the days of Masamune; among those folklores in Tohoku regions, some stories related with this belief have been transmitted, such as "the story of a peasant who set out on a journey for asking Sendai-sama (Lord Masamune) to cure the illness of his mother by the spiritual energy of Masamune."
隻眼の行者、満海上人の生まれ変わりであるという逸話は、政宗の存命中から広く知れ渡っており、東北地方の昔話の中には「仙台様（政宗のこと）の霊力で母親の病気を治してもらうために旅に出る農民の話」などが伝わっている。