Matsushima (松島) is a group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. There are some 260 tiny islands (shima) covered in pines (matsu) – hence the name – and it is considered to be one of the Three Views of Japan.
Nearby cultural properties include Zuigan-ji, Entsū-in, Kanrantei, and the Satohama shell mound.
Views
A well-known haiku describes the islands as so striking that the poet is at a loss for words:
松島やああ松島や松島や Matsushima ya / aa Matsushima ya / Matsushima ya
Matsushima ah! / A-ah, Matsushima, ah! / Matsushima, ah!
While often attributed to Matsuo Bashō, the earliest known publication is in the Matsushima Zushi (松島図誌), published in 1820 over a century after Bashō’s death, which attributes it to the kyōka poet Tawara-bō (田原坊).[2] While Bashō did visit Matsushima in Oku no Hosomichi, its only haiku about Matsushima was written by his travel comparison Kawai Sora.[3]