Matsushima Bay - Seaview Pavilion Kanran-tei

Seaview Pavilion (Kanran-tei) is a modest late 16th C teahouse on a rock beside the pier. Originally part of Fushimi Castle, it was presented by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to his vassal Date Masamune (1567-1636). The sliding doors in the interior were painted by Kano Sanraku (1559-1635), a leading representative of the Momoyama style. As its name indicates, the pavilion has a beautiful view of the bay. In the garden is a small museum with mementos of the Date family, which for some time during the medieval period was the most powerful princely family in northeastern Japan.