PLATE II. 



SCENERY OF MATSUSHIMA. 



The islands off the coast of Oshiu, collectively known as Matsushima, or the 

 Pine Islands, are classed among the three most beautiful sights in Japan. Said to 

 number 808 in all, they vary from imposing masses of considerable dimensions down 

 to mere sea rocks, large and small alike being overgrown with pine trees of picturesque 

 shapes. The neighbouring heights afford a commanding view of the entire archipelago 

 stretching in an irregular line for over forty miles from the town of Shiogama to Kin- 

 kwazan, the parent island of the group. The sheltered coves and bays formed by the 

 innumerable peninsulas and islets impart a tranquil beauty to the scenery, an effect 

 which is enhanced by a light wooden bridge spanning the narrowest channel and 

 tending to convert the whole view into the semblance of a beautiful garden. These 

 volcanic islands with their precipitous sides, rock-strewn beaches, and summits clad with 

 wind-twisted pine trees form the favourite models for the islets of lakes in Japanese 

 gardens. The grounds of the Daimio of Kuwana in Tsukiji, Tokio, formerly contained 

 a number of pine-clad islands representing the scenery of Matsushima, and in numerous 

 smaller gardens the same idea is conveyed by one or two tiny islets scattered in 

 the lake. 



