Japan Heritage story
Masuda: a medieval masterpiece of Japan
中世日本の傑作 益田を味わう
In medieval times, when the sea had no borders, Masuda at the western tip of Shimane traded across the Sea of Japan with China, Korea and beyond. Its rulers, the Masuda clan, kept the peace with clever diplomacy, invited the painter Sesshu, and left a town whose medieval layout survives almost untouched.
Key facts
- Theme
- Castles, Sea and waterside, Forests and timber, Mines and minerals
- Era
- Kamakura, Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama
- Region
- Hokkaido, Chubu, Chugoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 中世日本の傑作 益田を味わう
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- －地方の時代に輝き再び－
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 島根県（益田市）
The story
Where the Takatsu and Masuda rivers met the sea, a sheltered lagoon made a perfect harbour. Excavations at the Nakazu Higashihara site found a stone-paved landing, workshops and pottery from Korea, China and Southeast Asia. Timber and minerals from the mountains went out by boat. When the Masuda clan made peace with the powerful Mori clan, they gave tiger skins from Korea and served a feast with kelp from Hokkaido and sweetfish from the Takatsu River, a show of wealth that earned the Mori's respect.
Peace and trade brought culture. The clan built Manpukuji and invited Sesshu, the master of ink painting who had studied in China. He made gardens at Manpukuji and at the temple now called Ikoji, and painted the lord's portrait. In the early Edo period the clan had to leave, so Masuda never became a castle town and was never rebuilt. Its streets still follow the medieval plan: you can turn only twice and end up back where you started.
What to see
- Manpukuji: the Masuda clan's temple, with a medieval main hall and a garden by Sesshu.Google Maps 萬福寺 益田市 (opens in a new tab)
- Ikoji: another Sesshu garden, beautiful in every season.Google Maps 医光寺 (opens in a new tab)
- Mitake Odoi site: the clan's residence, with 5 m earthen walls.Google Maps 三宅御土居跡 (opens in a new tab)
- Nanao Castle ruins: a whole mountain turned into a fortress along a Y-shaped ridge.Google Maps 七尾城跡 益田 (opens in a new tab)
Plan your trip with the Shimane prefecture guide and see more gardens and parks.
Good to know
- Visit both Sesshu gardens, at Manpukuji and Ikoji, to compare them.
- Walk the old town and notice its mix of straight and curving medieval streets.
- See the Takatsu River, often called Japan's clearest river.
Questions travellers ask
Why is Masuda's medieval town so well preserved?
The Masuda clan left in the early Edo period, so the town was never rebuilt as a castle town and kept its medieval layout.
Who was Sesshu?
A great ink painter of the Muromachi period who studied in China. He was invited to Masuda and made gardens there.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Coal, steel and port: Hokkaido's northern industrial revolution
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Fukiya: the birthplace of Japan Red
- Gyoda: the town of tabi storehouses
- Inami: a town-sized museum of woodcarving
- Iwami kagura: gods and demons dance the old myths
- Iwami's volcanoes: Jomon forest and silver mountain in Oda
- Izumo: the sacred land where the sun sets
- Izumo's tatara: a thousand years of making iron
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Otaru, the heart of Hokkaido: a merchant city saved by its people
- Sacred land of salmon: 10,000 years on the Nemuro Strait
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.