Matsushima, Miyagi

Matsushima 松島町
Town
Top left: Matsushima Port, top right: Togetsukyō Bridge to Oshima Island, 2nd left: Matsushima Marinpia Aquarium (closed), 2nd right: Zuiganji Temple, 3rd left: Godaidō, 3rd right: Entsuin Temple, bottom left: Atago Shrine, bottom right: Matsushima Kaigan Train Station
Flag Seal
Location of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture
Matsushima
Coordinates: 38°22′48.6″N 141°04′2.4″E / 38.380167°N 141.067333°E / 38.380167; 141.067333
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
District	Miyagi
First official recorded	807 AD
Town settled	January 1, 1928
Government
• Mayor	Kouichi Sakurai (since October 2015)
Area
• Total	53.56 km² (20.68 sq mi)
Population (June 1, 2020)
• Total	13,804
• Density	260/km² (670/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Pine
- Flower	Sekikoku
Phone number	022-354-5701
Address	10 Takagi-aza-chō, Matsushima-machi, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi-ken 981-0215
Website	Official website

Matsushima (松島町, Matsushima-machi) is a town in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 June 2019^[update], the town had an estimated population of 13,804 in 5663 households,^[1] and a population density of 260 persons per km². The total area of the town is 53.56 square kilometres (20.68 sq mi). It is most famous as the location of Matsushima Bay, one of the Three Views of Japan, and is also the site of the Zuigan-ji, Entsū-in and Kanrantei.

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Geography

Matsushima is located in east-central Miyagi Prefecture, with Matsushima Bay to the east. The town’s highest point is Mount Danyama, with a height of 178 meters.

Neighboring municipalities

Miyagi Prefecture

Climate

Matsushima has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Higashi-Matsushima is 12.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1207 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.6 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Matsushima has declined over the past 30 years.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1920	7,644	—
1930	9,155	+19.8%
1940	10,064	+9.9%
1950	15,333	+52.4%
1960	15,045	−1.9%
1970	16,004	+6.4%
1980	17,246	+7.8%
1990	17,431	+1.1%
2000	17,059	−2.1%
2010	15,085	−11.6%
2020	13,323	−11.7%

History

The area of present-day Matsushima was part of ancient Mutsu Province and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period. The Daigigakoi Shell Mound is one of the largest shell middens to have been discovered in Japan. With the establishment of Tagajō in the Nara period, Matsushima was part of the Yamato colonization area in the region. The Buddhist temple of Zuigan-ji comes to have been founded in 828 AD. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by samurai clans before it came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate.

The village of Matsushima within Miyagi District, Miyagi was established on June 1, 1889 with the post-Meiji restoration establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on December 16, 1963.

Government

Matsushima has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Matsushima, as part of Miyagi District contributes one seat to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Miyagi 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Matsushima is largely based on tourism, farming, and commercial fishing, primarily the cultivation of oysters in Matsushima Bay.

Education

Matsushima has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Miyagii Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Main Line

Matsushima, Atago, Shinainuma

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Senseki Line

Matsushima-Kaigan, Takagimachi, Tetaru, Rikuzen-Tomiyama

Highway

Sanriku Expressway (Matsushima-Ōsato IC — Matsushima-Kita IC)
National Route 45
National Route 346

Seaports

Port of Matsushima - Matsushima sightseeing boats

Local attractions

Matsushima, one of the Three Views of Japan
Zuigan-ji, founded 828 AD
Entsū-in
Nishinohama Shell Mound, a National Historic Site ^[4]

External relations

International sister cities

France – Isle of Pines, New Caledonia,^[5] since September 4, 1980

Japanese sister cities

August 1, 1987: Kisakata, Akita
October 16, 1988: Kamiamakusa, Kumamoto (formerly known as Matsushima)

Noted people from Matsushima

Jun Senoue, musician

References

^ Matsushima Town official statistics(in Japanese)
^ Matsushima climate data
^ Matsushima population statistics
^ "西の浜貝塚". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
^ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.