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Matsushima
Matsushima is a bay on the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, about forty minutes from Sendai, scattered with some 260 small islands of pale rock and pine and counted since the seventeenth century among the Three Views of Japan.
The islands of Matsushima Bay
- Prefecture
- Miyagi
- Region
- Tohoku
- Journeys
- The Custom Tour of Japan
overview
Two hundred and sixty islands of pine, and the temples of the Date lords on the shore.
The islands are soft tuff and sandstone, worn by the sea into arches, caves and pillars, each crowned with a few black pines leaning out over the water. In 1643 the scholar Hayashi Gaho named Matsushima, with Amanohashidate and Miyajima, one of the three most celebrated views in Japan, and the name has stayed.
The bay was sacred long before it was scenic. Monks meditated in caves cut into the cliffs of the shore and the islands, and in the early seventeenth century Date Masamune, the lord of Sendai, rebuilt its great temple, Zuigan-ji, as the temple of his clan, together with the small Godaido hall on its islet. His descendants added a mausoleum temple with a garden, and a tea house that had stood at Fushimi Castle came to the shore.
Basho came in 1689, called it the most beautiful place in Japan, and was so moved that he set down no poem of his own. The bay is best seen slowly, from the water and from the hills around it, and the shore keeps a small town of temples, oyster grills and inns. Shiogama, with its great shrine and its fish market, is next door.
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see and do
What to see at Matsushima
Zuigan-ji
The Zen temple of the Date clan, founded in 828 and rebuilt by Date Masamune in 1609, its main hall a National Treasure of fine carving and gilded sliding doors, approached by an avenue of cedars past meditation caves cut into the rock.
Godaido
A small hall of 1604 on an islet off the shore, reached by short red bridges with gaps between the boards, it is said so that crossing concentrates the mind.
Entsu-in
The mausoleum temple of Masamune's grandson Date Mitsumune, whose shrine is painted with Western roses, said to recall Masamune's embassy to Rome, and which keeps gardens of moss and roses.
A red bridge between the islets, Matsushima Kanrantei
A tea house given by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Date Masamune and moved from Fushimi Castle to the shore of the bay, where matcha and a sweet are served looking out over the islands.
Fukuurajima
An island of pines and wildflowers joined to the shore by a red bridge of 252 metres, with a level path around it and views across the bay.
Oshima
A small island joined to the shore by a short red bridge, where monks once lived in caves cut in the rock, whose carvings and inscriptions still cover the walls.
A pine-topped islet, Matsushima Bay The bay by boat
Boats cross the bay among the islands, the arches and pillars passing close, on the way from the Matsushima pier to Shiogama, about fifty minutes.
The Four Views
Four hills around the bay have long been named its classic viewpoints, among them Otakamori on Miyato Island and Tamonzan above the southern shore, each giving a different arrangement of the islands.
Shiogama Shrine
The great shrine of the old province of Mutsu, at the top of 202 stone steps above the port of Shiogama, its halls of the Edo period lacquered vermilion.
The Shiogama fish market
The wholesale seafood market of Shiogama, where the tuna, sea urchin, scallops and oysters of the Miyagi coast are sold.
Urakasumi
The Urakasumi sake brewery in Shiogama, brewing since the eighteenth century, whose shop in the old town offers tastings of its sake.
experiences
The best of Matsushima
The bay from the water
A private boat among the islands, closer to the arches and the pines than the larger boats can go, and at an hour of your choosing.
Tea at Kanrantei
Matcha on the veranda of the tea house of the Date lords, the bay and its islands framed by the open screens.
Oysters of the bay
Matsushima oysters grilled in the shell, steamed in sake or eaten raw with a little ponzu, alongside the sea urchin and conger eel of the Miyagi coast.
Zen at the water's edge
Zazen meditation and sutra copying at a Zen temple of the bay, with a priest to explain both.
plan your visit
Matsushima on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- A full day is enough for the temples and a boat on the bay; a night on the shore adds the islands in the evening light and again in the morning.
- Getting there
- By the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai in about an hour and a half, then forty minutes by private car or by the Senseki line to Matsushima-Kaigan. Sendai Airport is about fifty minutes away by car.
journeys
Matsushima on a private journey
We bring guests to Matsushima on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
questions
Matsushima: questions answered
Why is Matsushima one of the Three Views of Japan?
For its 260 islands of pale rock and pine scattered across a calm bay, named among the three great views of Japan by the scholar Hayashi Gaho in 1643, with Amanohashidate and Miyajima.
How do you get to Matsushima from Sendai?
By the Senseki line to Matsushima-Kaigan in about forty minutes, or by car in about the same time. From Tokyo, the Shinkansen to Sendai takes about an hour and a half.
How long do you need in Matsushima?
A full day for Zuigan-ji, Godaido, a boat among the islands and Fukuurajima; stay a night for the bay in the evening.
Did Basho write a haiku about Matsushima?
No. The famous lines that repeat the name, Matsushima ya, are by a later poet; Basho, overcome by the bay in 1689, wrote that he could not compose and recorded only a verse by his companion Sora.
Is Zuigan-ji worth visiting?
Yes. It is the Zen temple of the Date lords, rebuilt in 1609, with a main hall that is a National Treasure, carved and gilded within, and an approach past meditation caves cut into the cliffs.
Can you take a boat around Matsushima Bay?
Yes. Sightseeing boats run among the islands from the pier at Matsushima, about fifty minutes to Shiogama or around the bay, and smaller boats can be chartered privately.
Can Matsushima be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, Matsushima included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Matsushima, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Matsushima, and we will answer with a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone, or, if you would rather travel independently, an Expert Japan Itinerary that plans every day for you.