Category: Matsushima

  • Godaido

    Godaido

    五大堂

    Godaido was built by Jikaku Daishi in 807 to enshrine the five deities of wisdom, said to be carved by his own hand. The current shrine, reached from the shore by arching red bridges, was built in 1604 by Date Masamune to celebrate his victory at Sekigahara, which brought the civil wars to an end and laid the foundation for the Tokugawa shogunate.

    Godaido is the oldest example of Momoyama period architecture in northeastern Japan.

    Red arching bridge leading to Godaido
    Godaido

    Godaido

  • Zuiganji Temple

    Zuiganji Temple

    瑞巌寺

    Zuiganji Temple, a national treasure, was first established in 828 by legendary priest Jikaku Daishi. Caves for the depositing of funerary ashes were added during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). The temple took its current form in 1609, when it was restored as a family temple by Date Masamune, the “One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshu” and founder of nearby Sendai.

    Pine trees line the approach
    Pine trees line the approach

    The approach to the temple is lined with the pine trees for which Matsushima is named. The gate to the left is the Onari Genkan — the Emperor’s Gate. Visitors instead pass across the front of the temple and enter via the Kuri, the distinctive temple kitchen to the right.

    Temple wall adjacent to the Kuri
    Temple wall adjacent to the Kuri

    The temple is filled with many elaborate murals on gilt sliding screens, including the famous Peacock panel painted by family retainer Sakuma Shuri. (Photography is forbidden in the interior of the temple.)

    Entrance to Hosshin Cave
    Entrance to Hosshin Cave

    Kamakura-era cinerarium
    Kamakura-era cinerarium

    Kamakura-era cinerarium
    Kamakura-era cinerarium

    The temple grounds also include the Seiryuden museum, which houses national and prefectural cultural properties such as the armor of Date Masamune and a large Wakizashi sword commissioned by his son.

    Zuiganji Temple