Matsushima

松島町まつしままちMatsushima-machi

Pine islands, Zen temples and the Date legacy on the bay

Matsushima is a small town on Matsushima Bay north-east of Sendai, famed for the pine-covered islets counted among the Three Views of Japan and for Zuigan-ji, the Zen temple rebuilt by Date Masamune.

Overview

Matsushima, literally 'pine islands', takes its name from the scores of small islands of soft tuff and sandstone, crowned with Japanese black and red pine, that fill the shallow bay between Shiogama and the Oshika Peninsula. Since the seventeenth century the bay has been counted among the Nihon Sankei, the Three Views of Japan, together with Amanohashidate and Miyajima, and it is protected as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

The town itself is a compact waterfront of temples, tea houses and piers. Its religious centre is Zuigan-ji, a Zen temple whose buildings Date Masamune rebuilt in the early seventeenth century and which served as the family temple of the Date; around it lie the Godaido hall on its islet, the Date mausoleum temple Entsu-in and the hermit island of Oshima.

The islands broke the force of the 2011 tsunami in the bay, and Matsushima suffered less than many neighbouring coastal towns, though the waterfront was flooded. Today it remains the most visited scenic site in Miyagi, reached from Sendai in well under an hour.

Landmarks

Zuigan-ji
瑞巌寺Zuiganji
Rinzai Zen temple of the Date, rebuilt in 1609; its main hall with painted sliding doors and its kitchen-residence are National Treasures, and caves with carved memorials line the cedar-shaded approach.
Godaido
五大堂Godaidō
Small hall on an islet reached by red bridges with open slats, rebuilt by Masamune in 1604; its statues of the Five Wisdom Kings are shown only once every 33 years.
Entsu-in
円通院Entsūin
Mausoleum temple of Masamune's grandson Date Mitsumune, whose shrine hall is decorated with Western roses; known for its moss and rock gardens and autumn colour.
Kanrantei
観瀾亭Kanrantei
Tea pavilion overlooking the bay, by tradition a building from Fushimi Castle given to Masamune by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and later moved here by the Date.
Oshima
雄島Oshima
Small island connected by the red Togetsukyo bridge, once a place of Buddhist retreat, with caves, carved stones and quiet paths.
Fukuurajima
福浦島Fukuurajima
Wooded island reached by a long red footbridge, with a nature trail and views across the bay.
Matsushima Bay
松島湾Matsushima-wan
The bay of some 260 islets, best seen from sightseeing boats and the viewpoints of the Shidaikan.

Districts

Matsushima-Kaigan waterfront
松島海岸Matsushima Kaigan
The harbour front between the station and Godaido, with boat piers, seafood restaurants and souvenir shops.
Zuigan-ji precinct
瑞巌寺Zuiganji
The temple quarter with Zuigan-ji, Entsu-in and neighbouring sub-temples, set in cedar woods a few minutes inland.
Tomiyama and Ogidani
富山・扇谷Tomiyama, Ōgidani
Hills behind the town with two of the four classic viewpoints over the bay, the Shidaikan.

History

Matsushima was a sacred place long before it became a tourist view. Temple tradition holds that the monk Ennin founded a Tendai temple here in 828; in the Kamakura period it was refounded as a Zen temple, and the offshore island of Oshima became a retreat for ascetics whose carvings and memorial stones still line its caves.

Date Masamune rebuilt the Godaido in 1604 and completed the new Zuigan-ji in 1609, using timber floated from the Kumano region and craftsmen from Kyoto. The Confucian scholar Hayashi Gaho named Matsushima among the three finest views of Japan in 1643, and Matsuo Basho visited in 1689 on the journey recorded in Oku no Hosomichi, praising the bay in his prose. In the modern era the town developed as a resort served by the railway from Sendai; the bay was designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty in 1952.

828
According to temple tradition, Ennin founds a Tendai temple, the precursor of Zuigan-ji.
13th century
The temple is refounded as a Zen temple under the Kamakura shogunate.
1604
Date Masamune rebuilds the Godaido hall on its islet.
1609
Zuigan-ji is completed under Masamune's patronage.
1643
Hayashi Gaho lists Matsushima among the Three Views of Japan.
1647
Entsu-in is founded as the mausoleum temple of Date Mitsumune.
1689
Matsuo Basho visits Matsushima on the journey of Oku no Hosomichi.
1952
Matsushima is designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
2011
The tsunami of 11 March floods the waterfront; the islands lessen its force.
2018
A decade-long restoration of Zuigan-ji's main hall is completed.

Culture

Matsushima's culture is that of a temple town and a poets' landscape. Zuigan-ji remains an active Zen temple, and the caves and memorial stones of its approach and of Oshima reflect centuries of pilgrimage and mourning. Poets from Saigyo to Basho wrote of the bay; a famous verse repeating the name – 'Matsushima ya, aa Matsushima ya' – is often attributed to Basho but was written by a later poet.

The town's calendar follows the seasons of the bay: oyster festivals in winter, lantern floating in August, and autumn illuminations in the temple gardens of Entsu-in.

Festivals

Matsushima Oyster Festival
松島かき祭りMatsushima Kaki Matsuri
Winter event in early February at which bay oysters are grilled and served on the waterfront.
Matsushima Toro Nagashi
松島灯籠流しMatsushima Tōrō Nagashi
During the O-bon season in August, lanterns for the dead are floated on the bay, accompanied by fireworks.
Autumn illuminations
紅葉ライトアップkōyō raito appu
In November the maples of Entsu-in and other temples are lit in the evening.

Food

Oysters
牡蠣kaki
Farmed in the bay and eaten grilled, fried or in rice bowls, especially from late autumn to early spring.
Anago-don
穴子丼anago-don
Rice bowl topped with simmered or grilled conger eel, a Matsushima speciality.
Sasa-kamaboko
笹かまぼこsasa-kamaboko
Leaf-shaped fish cakes, often grilled fresh on the waterfront.
Zunda mochi
ずんだ餅zunda mochi
Rice cakes with sweet edamame paste, served in tea houses along the bay.

Getting around

The JR Senseki Line runs from Sendai to Matsushima-Kaigan Station, the closest to Zuigan-ji and the waterfront, in about 40 minutes.
JR Matsushima Station on the Tohoku Main Line lies further inland, a longer walk from the main sights.
Sightseeing boats cross the bay between Shiogama and Matsushima and run circular cruises among the islands.
The main sights – Zuigan-ji, Godaido, Entsu-in, Kanrantei, Oshima and Fukuurajima – are all within walking distance of the station.

Day trips

Sendai
仙台Sendai
The prefectural capital with Date monuments, under an hour by train.
Shiogama
塩竈Shiogama
Port town with Shiogama Jinja and a fish market, linked by boat across the bay.
Otakamori and Oku-Matsushima
大高森Ōtakamori
Hill on Miyato-jima in Higashimatsushima with the widest panorama of the bay, one of the Shidaikan viewpoints.
Tagajo ruins
多賀城跡Tagajō ato
Site of the ancient provincial capital of Mutsu, a Special Historic Site, with the Tagajo stele.
Ishinomaki
石巻Ishinomaki
Port city at the mouth of the Kitakami River, further along the Senseki Line.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalSendaiSendai-shiThe castle town of the Date and capital of the north-east CityIshinomakiIshinomaki-shiRiver port, fishing harbour and a city of memory

Frequently asked questions

Why is Matsushima famous?

Matsushima Bay, with some 260 pine-covered islets, is one of the Three Views of Japan. The town is also known for Zuigan-ji, the Zen temple of the Date lords.

How do I get to Matsushima from Sendai?

The JR Senseki Line runs from Sendai to Matsushima-Kaigan Station in about 40 minutes. Boats also cross the bay from Shiogama.

What are the Three Views of Japan?

The Nihon Sankei are Matsushima in Miyagi, Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture and Miyajima (Itsukushima) in Hiroshima Prefecture, grouped together since the seventeenth century.

Did Basho write a haiku about Matsushima?

Basho praised Matsushima in the prose of Oku no Hosomichi but recorded no haiku of his own there. The well-known verse 'Matsushima ya, aa Matsushima ya' is by a later poet.

Was Matsushima damaged by the 2011 tsunami?

The waterfront was flooded, but the islands in the bay reduced the tsunami's force and damage was lighter than in many nearby towns. The temples and sights have long since reopened.

Sources

1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
2.松島町ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 松島町
3.国指定文化財等データベース (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
4.宮城県公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 宮城県