Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Views, painted by ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige. Does the island in the painting still exist? [Miyagi Prefecture]

"The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidōa famous Edo period ukiyo-e artist who produced masterpieces such asUtagawa Hiroshige was.

In his later years, HiroshigeViews of the Sixty-Odd Provincespublished a series of 70 illustrations of famous places called "Famous"Mogami River, Distant View of Mount Gassan (Dewa Province)," and the other"Matsushima Landscape, Sketch of View of Toyama (Mutsu Province).

This time,the "Mutsu" Matsushima Landscape Sketch from Toyama:a question that suddenly popped into my head while looking at"Do the islands in the painting still exist today?"I looked into

Hiroshige's view of Matsushima began with "Toyama: Reikan," one of the four great views of Matsushima

This and View from Toyamais undeniable from the title of the painting ("Mutsu: A Sketch of"Toyama: Beautiful View" paintingis looking south towards Matsushima Bay from

Incidentally,the Four Great Views of Matsushimarefer to famous spots where you can get a panoramic view of the islands floating in Matsushima Bay. Inthe beautiful view from Tomiyamaaddition toOtakamori,the magnificent view from Tamonzan,the secluded view from Ogidanithere are other spectacular spots such as

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

If you want to see the whole view of Matsushima, try the "Four Great Views" - a detailed guide to the spectacular views! [Miyagi Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/9722

Matsushima's four scenic spots are known as the Four Great Views. Surrounding Matsushima Bay from the east, west, north, and south, they are called the Grand View (Otakamori), the Reikan (Toyama), the Ikan (Tamonzan), and the Yukan (Ogidani). These names are said to have been coined by Funayama Mannen, a Confucian scholar from the Sendai domain, who praised them as follows: "The Grand View of Otakamori in the east, the Yukan (Ogidani) in the west, the Ikan (Tamonzan) in the south, and the Reikan (Toyama) in the north." So, let's introduce each spot, one by one, with photos, in the order we visited them. [South] The Ikakan (Ikadani) of Tamonzan...

read more

Does the island depicted in the painting still exist today?

Returning to the main topic, there are a total of 11 characters written in the painting that appear to be the names of islands or places

• Nacome
• Moon Star Island
• White Hama
• Monkey Forest
• Fun
• Naka(me?)shima
• Komachi Island
• Ishihama
• Ka (ro?) ketashima
• Hanabushi
• ？？？

At the very top of the picture, in the dark blue area above "Hanabushi" there appears to be some writing. I couldn't make out this part at all... so I'll look into the other parts!

"Nakome" is Nagome

The place name still exists today: Matsushima-cho Tetarunakago.Based on the relative positions in the illustration, this is definitely the correct location.

"Tsukihoshishima" is Tsukishima and Hoshijima

This was also discovered quickly. Off the coast of Nakago Fishing Port, there was a small island that looked like the moon with a star beside it. Its names wereTsukishima (Moon Island)andHoshijima (Star Island).

"Shirahama" is Shirahama Island

"Shirahama"alsoShirahamajima. For some reason the name didn't come up, but the slightly larger island visible below Koshirahamajima on the map isShirahamajima.

"Monkey Forest"

"Sarubayashi"Forest)... However, since the area in question is now a dense forest, it probably means "a forest where there were many monkeys." Probably.

"Tanoshima" is Kunoshima Island

"Tanoshima"The island referred to asKunoshima. This is just speculation, but perhaps Hiroshige misheard when he asked a local for the island's name? The dialect of the Mutsu region, mixed with the coastal dialect, was probably quite different from that of Edo.

Or perhaps the character "ku" was mistakenly written as "ta" when drawing

Is "Naka ​​(Me?) Shima" Rakan Island?

Judging from the relative positions in the painting,"Naka(me?)shima"corresponding to the location ofRakanjimais called Rakanshima as Naka(n)shima, it seems that Hiroshige may have misheard

"Komachishima" is Komachi Island

Although very small,"Komachi-shima"alsoKomachi-jimaexists as

"Ishihama" is the name of a place on Katsurashima Island called "Ishihama"

"Ishihama"Based on its location and size,Katsurajima Islandon the island"Ishihama"exists

"Ka(ro?)Ketashima" is Kaketajima Island

Like Komachijima, it is a very small island, butKaketajima. Incidentally, this island is located within Shiogama City in terms of address classification.

"Hanabushi" is located in Hanabuchihama, Shichigahama Town

This is immediately obvious from the relative locations.HanabuchihamaIt appears to be

Surprisingly, the place names and islands remain exactly as they were back then!

After doing some research, I discovered that the place names and islands remain exactly as they were when Hiroshige painted them! It's quite moving to think that we can still see the same scenery today as people of the Edo period did

If you ever"Toyama: Beautiful View"have the chance to visit Matsushima and see the"Mutsu" Matsushima Landscape: A Sketch of the View from Toyamawhile you admire the scenery.

Aoiwa

Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs