211030_Kameshima_Matsushima_Miyagi_pref_Japan01n

is a group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. There are some 260 tiny islands (''shima'') covered in pines (''matsu'') – hence the name – and it is considered to be one of the

Three Views of Japan The is the canonical list of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights, attributed to 1643 and scholar Hayashi Gahō. In 1915, modeled on the old Three Views of Japan, Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha (株式会社実業之日本社) held a national elec ...

. Nearby cultural properties include

Zuigan-ji is a Rinzai Zen Buddhism, Buddhist temple in located in the town of Matsushima, Miyagi, Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Belonging to the Myōshin-ji-branch of Rinzai Zen, it was founded in 828 during the Heian period by Ennin, Jikaku Dai ...

, Entsū-in,

Kanrantei is the only building to survive from a mansion complex of the Date clan in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It is said to have originated as a teahouse in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Fushimi Castle, to have been moved to Edo by Date Masamune, and fi ...

, and the

Satohama shell mound The is an archaeological site consisting of a shell midden and the remains of an adjacent Jōmon period settlement located in what is now the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It has been pro ...

Views

A well-known

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or s ...

describes the islands as so striking that the poet is at a loss for words: While often attributed to Matsuo Bashō, the earliest known publication is in the ''Matsushima Zushi'' (松島図誌), published in 1820 over a century after Bashō's death, which attributes it to the ''

kyōka ''Kyōka'' (, "wild" or "mad poetry") is a popular, parodic subgenre of the tanka form of Japanese poetry with a metre of 5-7-5-7-7. The form flourished during the Edo period (17th–18th centuries) and reached its zenith during the Tenmei era ...

'' poet Tawara-bō (田原坊). While Bashō did visit Matsushima in ''

Oku no Hosomichi ''Oku no Hosomichi'' (, originally ), translated as ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' and ''The Narrow Road to the Interior'', is a major work of ''haibun'' by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō, considered one of the major texts of Japanese li ...

'', its only haiku about Matsushima was written by his travel comparison

Kawai Sora ''Oku no Hosomichi'' (, originally ), translated as ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' and ''The Narrow Road to the Interior'', is a major work of ''haibun'' by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō, considered one of the major texts of Japanese ...

Four views of Matsushima

There are four well-known spots to view the Matsushima, known as the , , , and . Image:matsushima otakamori08Dec07.jpg, Magnificent View: The view from Otakamori Image:matsushima tomiyama10Mar07.jpg, Beautiful View: The view from Toyama Image:matsushima ogidani23Nov07.jpg, Enchanting View: The view from Ogidani Image:matsushima tamonsan11Feb07.jpg, Grand View: The view from Tamonsan

Cruise

Tourists can view the islands from up close on cruise boats. Image:Nioujima.jpg, Niōjima Image:Senganjima.jpg, Senganjima:

Masamune Date was a regional ruler of Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful ''daimyō'' in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made al ...

's favorite island Image:Komonejima.jpg, Komonejima Image:Matsushima famous island.jpg, Kanejima Image:Futagojima.jpg, Futagojima Image:Misagojima.jpg, Misagojima Image:Kaerujima.jpg, Kaerujima Image:Meganejima.jpg, Takashima, also known as Meganejima

Transportation

The town is only a short distance (thirty minutes, about 14 km) from prefectural capital Sendai and is easily accessible by

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

Matsushima-Kaigan Station is a railway station in the town of Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Matsushima-Kaigan Station is served by the Senseki Line. It is located 23.2 rail kilometers from the terminus of t ...

is near the attractions such as Zuiganji and the waterfront.

Matsushima Station is a railway station in the town of Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). This station is about 1 km from Takagimachi Station and about 2 km away from Matsushima-Kaigan Station on the Senseki ...

, on a separate line is on the opposite side of the town.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake

Despite the proximity of Matsushima to the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...

, the area was protected by the islands and suffered relatively little damage. The initial tsunami was 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) with the second 3.8 metres (12.5 feet). Electricity was restored by March 18, water fully restored by April 16th and the Senseki Train Line between Takagimachi Station and Sendai by May 28. Nevertheless, three people were confirmed killed in Matsushima (including by aftershocks) with 18 killed while out of town.

Activities

Around the island travelers can go on a cruise and view the islands up close an around the Matsushima shore travelers can rent bikes.

References

External links

Matsushima Town official website
{{Coord, 38, 22, N, 141, 05, E, type:isle_region:JP, display=title 9900 Tourist attractions in Miyagi Prefecture Special Places of Scenic Beauty Archipelagoes of Japan Japanese archipelago Islands of Miyagi Prefecture Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean