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The modern town of MATSUSHIMA is little more than a strip of resort hotels and souvenir shops, but its origins go back to 828 AD, when Zen priests founded a temple overlooking the bay. Though Zuigan-ji has been rebuilt many times since then, it still retains a compelling sense of history and boasts some magnificent works of art, many of which are stored in the temple museum. Other religious buildings followed Zuigan-ji, such as much-photographed Godai-do , a tiny pavilion accessed by three red-lacquer bridges, while the nearby island of Oshima is pitted with caves and carvings left by Buddhist monks. All Matsushima's main sights lie within easy walking distance of both the central tourist pier, where boats from Shiogama dock, and the train station (Matsushima-kaigan), ten minutes' walk to the southwest. Halfway between the two, a grove of 400-year-old cedar trees makes a suitably grand approach to Zuigan-ji (daily: April-Sept 8am-5pm; Jan-March & Oct-Dec 8am-3.30/4.30pm; Y700). Though deceptively plain from the outside, Zuigan-ji's main hall bears the unmistakable stamp of Date Masamune, the first lord of Sendai , who oversaw its reconstruction in the early seventeenth century. He employed the best craftsmen and the highest-quality materials to create a splendid monument of intricately carved doors and transoms, wood-panelled ceilings and gilded screens lavishly painted with hawks, chrysanthemums, peacocks and pines. A number of these screens and other items on display are replicas, but you can see some of the originals in the modern Seiryu-den (included in the ticket), to the left as you exit Zuigan-ji's inner compound. Alongside the normal array of temple treasures, there are statues of the one-eyed Masamune, in full armour and in an uncompromising mood, and his angelic-looking wife and eldest daughter. Note that his daughter, dressed in black, is clutching a rosary; she was a firm Christian who refused to renounce her faith at a time when it was strictly prohibited in Japan. In front of Zuigan-ji, just north of the ferry pier, two tiny islands are threaded together with arched vermilion bridges. No one knows why the bridges were built with precarious gaps between the planks, but one suggestion is that it kept women, in their awkward kimono, from despoiling the sacred ground. The object of their curiosity was the Godai-do , a picturesque pavilion built by order of Masamune in the early 1600s. It houses statues of five Buddhist deities which can only be viewed every 33 years - so come back in 2006. Meanwhile, you'll have to make do with the charming carvings of the twelve animals of the zodiac decorating the eaves, starting with the rat on the north side. If time allows, there are a couple of larger, less-frequented islands along the seafront, of which Oshima , five minutes' walk south, is the more interesting. On the way you'll pass Karantei (daily 8.30am-4.30/5pm; Y200), a famous teahouse with a beautiful name - "place to view the ripples on the water" - but little else to recommend it. Instead, press on to where another red-lacquered bridge leads to 4shima. Once a retreat for Buddhist priests, the island's soft rock is pocked with caves, tablets and monuments; from its east side you get attractive views of Matsushima Bay. The second island, Fukura-jima (daily 8am-4/5pm; Y200), lies north of Godai-do across a 250-metre-long bridge. A natural botanical garden, it's inhabited by more than 250 native plant species, and makes a good picnic spot. The hills around Matsushima town provide plenty of opportunities for panoramic views of the bay. Of the four main lookout points , southerly Sokanzan is reckoned to offer the best all-round views, including both Shiogama and Matsushima itself; take a taxi (Y2000 return fare) to avoid the thirty-minute climb on a busy road. Otherwise, Saigyo Modoshi-no-matsu is a more pleasant, fifteen-minute scramble west of the station, or allow a few minutes more for Shintomi-yama, on the northwest edge of town above Fukura-jima.
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