Our couple's seat of the bus is luckily the front row today. We are going to have the best view the whole day.

Matsushima Islands

Left Akiu Spa at 9:15, we passed by Sendai City to the west and arrived at Matsushima Bay a little after 10:00.
We have to thank the fine autumn weather. No necessity to wear long sleeves.

Matsushima is a generic term of over 260 islands scattered in and out this bay. The view here is one of the three most scenic spots in Japan.
In the bay the water depth is within 10 meters. It shows the topography made by land subsidences little by little each time of earthquakes throughout the long history. But it doesn't seem to remain the scars of the big earthquake 4 years ago.

I must have been here at least once but I don't remember anything, though Matsushima of Kishu at Nachi-Katsuura, Wakayama Pref., near my hometown, is imprinted on my mind.
Emiko also seems to have no clear memory on Matsushima.

Our couple decided to get on the cruiser around Matsushima Islands starting at 10:30, making use of the free time.
Since the cruising planned for about 50 minutes, we can most probably visit Zuiganji Temple later.

The cruiser "The 3rd Basho Maru" carried 80% of 300-people capacity.
I put my baggage in the guest room and decided to take a view of the sea and islands at the deck on the 2nd floor under the bright sunshine.

I enjoyed the pleasant cruising until coming back to the wharf for nearly 1 hour.
At key points the information was announced by a beautiful voice, but I was busy taking photos of scenic points changing rapidly right and left.
The cruising was going to be over when I came to my senses.

Matsushima Bay, Other Pictures

Matsuo Basho, a giant of haikai (haiku or hokku poem) in Edo Period, dropped in and enjoyed cruising around the bay during his travel to the north and left a beautiful passage in his famous travelogue "Oku-no-hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to Oku). However his haiku here is never found. The common understanding is that he lost his words viewing too wonderful sights.

To be honest, I wondered why, because I did not think it was such a view making Basho lose his words even if it was very wonderful.
I admit I took a cynical view then and my impression was selfish all right, but I have decided to write my thought titled "Basho's Ah Matsushima!" in the last chapter.

Zuiganji Temple

The entrance to Zuiganji Temple was within 10 minutes from the wharf of Matsushima Cruising.

This temple, a famous Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple in Matsushima, is officially called as Seiryuzan Zuiganji, and is commonly referred to as Zuiganji Temple.
The following is the summary of the temple's guidebook.

Passing through the temple gate, the caverns of 100 meters appeared on the right. There were Kannon Statue, 33 Statues of Saigoku (Western Region), Hosshin Cave, etc.

The statue of Jizo was sitting just before the Main Hall. It was cast and built in 1863, in commemoration of the priest Chuho-myosai who rescued refugees in the famine.

The Main Hall was regrettably closed for the repair. Instead, Daishoin (Temporary Main Hall) and the following buildings were specially open.

Daishoin Hall

Yotokuin-Otamaya

This is the memorial hall of Yotokuin, Date Masamune's wife.
Built originally by Tsunayoshi, their grand son in 1660, it was rebuilt in the original style spending for 3 years from 2006.

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Zuiganji is one of the temples with Chusonji and Motsuji in Hiraizumi City, and Risshakuji in Yamagata City among the pilgrimage course of "Visiting Four Temples". All temples were opened by the priest Jikaku Daishi Ennin.
Our couple have not visited Motsuji Temple yet. We are thinking to visit it in the near future.

Matsuo Basho fulfilled this pilgrimage course during the trip of "The Narrow Road to Oku". His visit to Zuiganji was on May 11 in Genroku (June 27 in 1689), the next day of Matsushima. He did not create haiku poem here either.

Zuiganji Temple, Other Pictures

This hall belongs to Zuiganji Temple, but is located out of the precincts, facing Matsushima Bay. We visited it just for a while.
The name Godaido (Hall of Five Greatest Wisdom Kings) comes from the story that Ennin enshrined Five Greatest Wisdom Kings inside when he built it.
The hall in the present was rebuilt by Date Masamune in 1604 when he rebuilt Zuiganji Temple. It is the oldest Momoyama-style building in Tohoku District.

We dropped in at this temple on the way from Matsushima south to Goshiki-numa Ponds.
From the shrine gate we climbed up gradual stone steps to the shrine.
In the precincts on the right were cherry trees designated as a special natural treasure, but they were in leaf out of the season.

According to Wikipedia about this shrine;

Shiogama Shrine, Other Pictures

From here we were going to drive faraway south to the center part of Fukushima Prefecture. While on the local road we saw rice fields of rich harvest on both sides all the way. They were exactly golden waves of rice plants putting yellow and gold together.
Strange!? In spite of such a deep emotion and the best front seat in the bus, there is no photos taken. Why? Regretful!

We arrived at Hotel de Premiere Minowa just after 4:00 pm, which was located by Inawasiro Lake and not far from Goshiki-numa Ponds. It looked high-grade, busy in the skiing season.
We felt elegant mood until the late departure the next morning. I will write the details about the hotel in the last chapter as one of the passages.