Autumn Night Visits to the National Treasure Zuiganji from October 30: An Audio Guide for the “Moon-Viewing Light-Up” and a Concert in the Main Hall

From Friday, October 30, the National Treasure Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, will hold autumn night visits planned, directed and produced by NAKED, INC. They continue until Monday, November 23 (national holiday). In this fifth year, the theme is “Moon-Viewing Light-Up”: light expresses the moon and moonlight associated with Date Masamune, and an audio guide introducing the history of the approach and the interior of the National Treasure Main Hall is newly introduced. Visiting hours are 17:00 to 21:00, and admission is 1,300 yen for adults (1,200 yen in advance online). As of October 23, the official website also includes information on a tea service and a concert inside the Main Hall.

A theme of the “moon” associated with Masamune, with an audio guide and projections by a local vocational school

According to NAKED’s October 5 announcement, this year focuses on the moon and moonlight that Date Masamune dearly loved. The content shifts from one centered on viewing to a visiting program built around learning and physical experience, with an audio guide introducing the history of the approach and the interior of the National Treasure Main Hall. There is also projection mapping produced by a local vocational school, but the school’s name, the location and the times had not been announced as of October 23.

The introduction of works in the press release shows images of four locations: the area facing reception, the approach on the Hosshinkutsu cave side, the inner garden of the Main Hall and the inside of the Onari Genkan, the formal entrance (all images for illustration). What staging will take place at each location is not described. Zuiganji’s official website describes it as nighttime staging with light and sound.

New information on the official website: a tea service in Seiryuden and a concert in the Main Hall

As of October 23, the official website carries information for spending time in the temple grounds at night. The tea service in Seiryuden is open from 17:30 to 20:45 (last order 20:30), with a matcha set at 700 yen per person. It is closed on Wednesday, November 11.

From 19:00 on Sunday, November 8, there is a concert by Sonido del Viento in the Shitchu (Peacock Room) inside the Zuiganji Main Hall. Listening is free, but a visit ticket is required. The official website also credits Kawaraya Zenji Temple in Shiga Prefecture for its cooperation in providing materials.

There are some differences in prices between the October 5 press release and the official website. The participation fee for the tour with the Date Bushotai, a samurai performance troupe, is 2,500 yen for elementary school students and older in the press release, but 3,000 yen on the official website. The “NAKED Distance Lantern®,” a lantern that projects light, is described as “lent free of charge” in the press release, while the official website lists it at 300 yen each.

The lanterns come in camellia, lotus and star patterns. The interactive fortune slip “NAKED Hanamikuji®” costs 500 yen each. Check the latest prices on the official website.

The Date Bushotai tour: four days, 30 people per session

The Date Bushotai tour is held on four days: Saturday, October 31, Saturday, November 14, Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22. Its name in the press release is “Premium Moon-Viewing Tour with the Date Bushotai.” The first session starts at 18:00 and the second at 19:30, each lasting about 50 minutes. Capacity is 30 per session.

The participation fee (3,000 yen per person for elementary school students and older, according to the official website) is paid in cash on the day, and a separate night visit ticket is required (junior high school students and younger do not need a visit ticket). Preschool children cannot take part, and advance registration is required. Participants should complete entry at reception at least five minutes before the start and gather in front of the Hosshinkutsu cave. According to the press release, the tour comes with an English interpreter.

Admission and access: no dedicated parking

Night visits run from 17:00 to 21:00. Ticket sales end at 20:30, and last admission is at 20:45. Admission for adults (high school students and older) is 1,300 yen, or 1,200 yen with an advance visit ticket bought online.

Junior high school students and younger are free and must be accompanied by a guardian. There is no disability discount, and pets are not allowed. Advance tickets are sold on Webket, which has Japanese and English pages.

Zuiganji is a 10-minute walk from Matsushima-Kaigan Station on the JR Senseki Line and a 25-minute walk from Matsushima Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line. The temple has no dedicated parking.

The Matsushima Tourism Association designates Saturday, October 24 to Monday, November 23 (national holiday) as the “Matsushima Light-Up” period. Its guide, which introduces the Zuiganji night visits and light-up cruises on Matsushima Bay (1,200 yen for adults, 600 yen for children), states that events are canceled in stormy weather, if a seismic intensity of 5-lower or higher is measured in Matsushima, or if a tsunami advisory is issued for the Miyagi coast, among other cases.

A Zen temple rebuilt by Masamune, and the National Treasure Main Hall and Onari Genkan

Zuiganji, which belongs to the Myoshinji school of Rinzai Zen, is formally named “Matsushima Seiryuzan Zuigan Enpuku Zenji.” According to the temple’s history, it began as Enpuku-ji, a Tendai temple founded in 828 (Tencho 5) by Jikaku Daishi Ennin. Construction by Date Masamune took five years and was completed in 1609 (Keicho 14), after which the temple received generous patronage as the family temple of the Date clan.

The Main Hall (including the attached Onari Genkan) was designated a National Treasure in 1953, and the kuri (kitchen and living quarters) and corridors in 1959. The Onari Genkan, listed as one of this year’s staging locations, is the part attached to this National Treasure Main Hall.

Evening temple and shrine visits this autumn

Evening visits to temples and shrines held around the country this autumn are introduced in our roundup of evening temple visits and temple and shrine light-ups outside Kyoto City. The background to the increase in light staging that illuminates castles, temples and shrines is covered in our article on nighttime light staging at cultural properties.

Overview

Name: NAKED Matsushima: Autumn Night Visit to the National Treasure Zuiganji Temple
Dates: Friday, October 30 – Monday, November 23 (national holiday), 2026
Hours: 17:00–21:00 (last admission 20:45; ticket sales end 20:30)
Venue: National Treasure Zuiganji Temple (91 Chonai, Matsushima, Matsushima-machi, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi Prefecture)
Admission: Adults (high school students and older) 1,300 yen, advance online visit ticket 1,200 yen, junior high school students and younger free (must be accompanied by a guardian). No disability discount
Access: 10-minute walk from Matsushima-Kaigan Station on the JR Senseki Line, 25-minute walk from Matsushima Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line (no dedicated parking)
Organizer: Zuiganji
Planning, direction and production: NAKED, INC.
Support: Matsushima Tourism Association, Miyagi Television Broadcasting, Sendai Broadcasting, khb Higashi Nippon Broadcasting, tbc Tohoku Broadcasting, Kahoku Shimpo, Date fm
Official website: https://www.zuiganji.or.jp/event/nightvisit2026/

*Information as of October 23, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Image of the staging in the inner garden of the Main Hall (from a press release by NAKED, INC.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on materials released by NAKED, INC. (October 5, 2026) and information on the official websites of Zuiganji and the Matsushima Tourism Association (as of October 23, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team