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

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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; 141.067333Coordinates: 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
Government
 • Mayor Kouichi Sakurai (since October 2015)
Area
 • Total 53.56 km2 (20.68 sq mi)
Population (June 1, 2017)
 • Total 14,105
 • Density 263/km2 (680/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 981-0215
Website http://www.town.matsushima.miyagi.jp/
Matsushima Town Office

Matsushima (松島町, Matsushima-machi) is a town in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 June 2017, the town had an estimated population of 14,105, and a population density of 263 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.

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

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[1] the population of Matsushima has been relatively stable over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 16,004
1980 17,246
1990 17,431
2000 17,059
2010 15,085

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]

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 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.

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

Highway

Seaports

  • Port of Matsushima - Matsushima sightseeing boats

Local attractions

External relations

International sister cities

Japanese sister cities

Noted people from Matsushima

References

  1. ↑ Matsushima population statistics
  2. ↑ Matsushima climate data
  3. ↑ "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.
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