Itsukushima Shrine

Discover

About Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine (Itsukushima Jinja) sits in the bay of Miyajima Island. Tradition places its foundation at the end of the 6th century, and the current form dates from the 12th century, when Taira no Kiyomori, head of the most powerful clan of the period, rebuilt the shrine. Because the entire island was considered sacred, the buildings were constructed over the tidal area rather than on land. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

The halls and corridors, painted red with cypress-bark roofs, stand on pillars. At high tide, water flows underneath and the shrine appears to float; at low tide, the bay’s sand is exposed. The visitor route follows the covered corridors, passes the main hall, the Noh theater stage—one of the few built over water—and the arched bridge that is not used by visitors.

About 200 meters in front of the shrine stands the large torii, roughly 16 meters tall, made of camphor wood and painted red. The present version dates from the 19th century, and it stands by its own weight without being buried in the seabed. At high tide the torii is in the water and boats pass beneath it; at low tide you can walk out to it across the sand.

Around the shrine, Miyajima town has the shopping street Omotesando, with stores selling momiji manju, maple-leaf-shaped sweets, and grilled oysters, plus the five-storied pagoda and the Senjokaku hall on the nearby hill. At night the shrine and the torii are illuminated, and boats run short cruises around the bay.