宍道湖と松江市街

About this photo

This photograph shows the streets of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, and Lake Shinji spreading out beside them. It appears in Nihon Meisho Fuzoku Dai Shashincho (Great Photo Album of Japan's Famous Places and Customs), published in 1931 (Showa 6).

Matsue is the castle town that Horio Yoshiharu laid out around Matsue Castle, which he completed in 1611 after five years of work. The castle was built between Lake Shinji and Nakaumi lagoon, a convenient spot for water transport. Lake Shinji is a brackish lake where seawater mixes with fresh water, and it is known for the "Seven Delicacies of Lake Shinji," such as shijimi clams and shirauo (icefish).

The keep of Matsue Castle is one of only 12 in Japan surviving from the Edo period, and it was designated a National Treasure in 2015. Lake Shinji is the seventh-largest lake in Japan, and in 2005 it was registered, together with Nakaumi, as a wetland under the Ramsar Convention. The view of Yomegashima, a small island in the lake, at sunset is one of Matsue's signature sights.

Glossary