View source for Itsukushima

{{short description|Island in Japan}}
{{Other}}
{{Redirect|Miyajima}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Itsukushima
| native_name      = {{nobold|厳島}}
| native_name_link = 
| native_name_lang = ja
| sobriquet        = Miyajima 
| image_name       = Miyajima Island.jpg
| image_size       = 
| image_caption    = Itsukushima Island
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| pushpin_map             =Japan Hiroshima Prefecture#Japan
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| coordinates      = {{coord|34|16|32|N|132|18|28|E|region:JP_type:isle|display=title}}
| etymology        = 
| location         = [[Seto Inland Sea]]
| grid_reference   = <!-- UK only -->
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| waterbody        = 
| total_islands    = 
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| area_km2         = 30.39
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| elevation_m      = 535
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| highest_mount    = [[Mount Misen]]
| country          = Japan
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[[File:Itsukushima Gate.jpg|thumb|This [[torii]] at the [[Itsukushima Shrine]] welcomes visitors to the island.]]
[[File:Miyajima island.jpg|thumb|Overview of Miyajima/Itsukushima island in the Inland Sea from the east direction, Japan]]
[[File:Itsukushima Island, Mt Misen, Torii of Itsukushima Shrine and Ferry for Miyajima Route 001.jpg|thumb|View of Ferry, Mount Misen and torii of Itsukushima Shrine from on the sea.]]
{{nihongo|'''Itsukushima'''|厳島}} is an island in the western part of the [[Seto Inland Sea|Inland Sea]] of [[Japan]], located in the northwest of [[Hiroshima Bay]]. It is popularly known as {{nihongo|'''Miyajima'''|宮島}}, which in Japanese means "Shrine Island".<ref>[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3450.html Miyajama]</ref> The island is one of [[Hayashi Gahō]]'s [[Three Views of Japan]] specified in 1643.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Three Views of Japan - Topics - Japan Travel |url=https://en.japantravel.com/topics/three-views-of-japan |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=JapanTravel |language=en}}</ref> Itsukushima is part of the city of [[Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima|Hatsukaichi]] in [[Hiroshima Prefecture]]. The island was part of the former town of [[Miyajima, Hiroshima|Miyajima]] before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=宮島歴史略年表｜歴史｜一般社団法人宮島観光協会 |url=https://www.miyajima.or.jp/history/chronology.html |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.miyajima.or.jp}}</ref>

Itsukushima is famous for the [[Itsukushima Shrine]], a [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="Itsukushima Shinto Shrine">[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/776 Itsukushima Shinto Shrine] UNESCO</ref> The shrine was considered a sacred site for a long time, it is possible that locals built a simple shrine on the site before the complex was built in [[593|593 AD]]. In [[1168|1168 AD]], [[Taira no Kiyomori]], a warrior-courtier, greatly contributed to giving the shrine its current form. In the 16th century, [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], a famed Japanese [[Daimyo|warlord]], built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Mark |title=Itsukushima Shrine |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Itsukushima_Shrine/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=World History Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref>

Itsukushima has a number of temples, including Toyokuni Shrine with a five-storied pagoda,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/culture-and-heritage/spiritual-heritage-temples-shrines/goju-no-to-senjokaku.html |title=Toyokuni Shrine (Senjokaku) / Goju-no-to |access-date=2014-08-28 |archive-date=2020-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305083452/http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/culture-and-heritage/spiritual-heritage-temples-shrines/goju-no-to-senjokaku.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Daiganji Temple - one of the three most famous [[Benzaiten]] temples of Japan.<ref name="visit-miyajima-japan.com">{{Cite web |url=http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/culture-and-heritage/spiritual-heritage-temples-shrines/daiganji.html |title=Daiganji Kikyozan Hokoin (Buddhist temple) |access-date=2014-08-28 |archive-date=2020-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305083436/http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/culture-and-heritage/spiritual-heritage-temples-shrines/daiganji.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The island is also famous for its upper hill side cherry blossoms and maple leaf autumn foliage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/assets/pdf/2daystay-secondday-EN.pdf |title=Miyajama Cherry Blossoms and Fall Foliage |access-date=2014-08-28 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223244/http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/assets/pdf/2daystay-secondday-EN.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The island of Itsukushima, including the waters around it (part of Seto Inland Sea), lies within [[Setonaikai National Park]]. This sea is affected by strong [[tides]]. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island's [[torii]]. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed seabed mud and fills areas underneath the shrine boardwalk.

==Location and geography==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2019}}
[[File:A Miyajima view Itsukushima Shrine.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of the Itsukushima-jinja torii and the main island from the ropeway/hiking trails of Miyajima.]]
Itsukushima is mountainous and sparsely settled. It has an elementary school and a middle school. There are no traffic signals. It is rural and mountainous, only {{convert|30.39|km2}}, and has a population of about 2000. There are no cities, only small towns with simple houses and privately owned shops. The islanders work hard to preserve the forests and respect [[nature]].

Itsukushima has historically been regarded as a sacred landscape in Shinto belief, and the entire island was treated as a ritual space. Early visitors often approached by boat in order to respect its sanctity, and the shoreline, forests and mountains were understood as parts of a unified spiritual environment.

The layout of the [[Itsukushima Shrine]] reflects this [[tradition]]. The shrine buildings were constructed over the water so that the tide could rise and fall beneath them, maintaining the separation between sacred and ordinary space while also incorporating the natural surroundings into religious practice. Modern cultural studies describe the island as an example of a historic Japanese sacred landscape in which [[Japanese architecture|architecture]], [[coastline]] and [[Forest|forested]] slopes are intentionally combined. This relationship between nature and built form continues to shape the visitor experience and reflects long standing ideas of spiritual harmony in Japanese cultural geography.<ref>https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/776</ref><ref>https://www.trustedinterpreters.com/miyajima-ritual-and-tourist-space</ref><ref>https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/ramsar_whc_case_study_itsukushima_e.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=December 2025}}</ref>

Frequent ferry services, operated by [[JR West]] ([[JR Miyajima ferry]]) and by [[Miyajima MATSUDAI KISEN|Miyajima Matsudai Tourist Ship]], carry traffic between the island and the mainland at Miyajimaguchi. The trip takes about ten minutes.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2019 |title=宮島自然散策マップ |trans-title=Miyajima Nature Walk Map |language=ja |url=https://www.city.hatsukaichi.hiroshima.jp/uploaded/attachment/32888.pdf |access-date=10 April 2020 |publisher=Miyajima Tourist Association&Gimmick |quote=宮島と宮島口を約10分で結びます。(Miyajima and Miyajimaguchi are about 10 minutes apart.)}}</ref> There is an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima harbour.

Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. [[Momiji manjū]], pastries filled with [[Azuki bean|azuki]] jam or custard, are popular souvenirs and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties, such as chocolate and cheese, are available.<ref>{{cite web |title=Momiji Manju: A Snack Worthy of Miyajima |url=https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/495/ |website=All About Japan |publisher=All About Japan |access-date=10 April 2020 |date=22 May 2016}}</ref> Because the island is seen as sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber. [[Sika deer]]  roam freely. Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods. They walk the streets of the city, not afraid of the tourists.

[[File:Autumn colours on Miyajima Island Japan.jpg|thumb|left|Autumn colours on Miyajima Island Japan]]
The [[shamoji]], a style of wooden paddle used to serve cooked rice without impairing the taste, is said to have been invented by a monk who lived on the island. The shamoji is a popular souvenir, and there are some outsized examples around the shopping district.

The peak of [[Mount Misen]], at 535&nbsp;m, is the highest point on the island.<ref>{{cite web |title=弥山(みせん)とは [About Misen] |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BC%A5%E5%B1%B1-138721 |website=コトバンク |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun Company |access-date=10 April 2020 |language=ja}}</ref> [[Miyajima Ropeway]] carries visitors to within a 30-minute hike to the top. There are several sites related to the historic Buddhist priest and founder of [[Shingon Buddhism]], {{nihongo|[[Kūkai|Kōbō Daishi]]|弘法大師}} (774–835), including [[Daishō-in (Miyajima)|Daishō-in]], near the top.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Miyajima |url=https://visithiroshima.net/world_heritage/itsukushima/miyajima.html |website=Visit Hiroshima |publisher=Hiroshima International Tourism Association |access-date=10 April 2020}}</ref>

The island contains the {{nihongo|[[Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden]]|宮島自然植物実験所|Miyajima Shizen Shokubutsu Jikkensho}} on its north coast.

People often take the short ferry ride from mainland Japan to pray at Miyajima's shrines and to marvel at the beauty of its forests. Shrines on the island include Senjokaku (Toyokuni Shrine), Five-storied Pagoda, Two-storied Pagoda, Kiyomori Shrine, and Omoto Shrine.<ref>{{cite web |title=Other Shrines - Sightseeing Spots |url=https://www.miyajima.or.jp/english/spot/spot_other.html |website=Miyajima Tourist Association |publisher=Miyajima Tourist Association |access-date=10 April 2020 |date=2017}}</ref>

==Shrines and temples==

In Japan, the term "shrine" implies a Shinto religious structure and "temple" implies a Buddhist one.

===Itsukushima Shrine===
{{main|Itsukushima Shrine}}
Miyajima is famous for the {{nihongo|[[Itsukushima Shrine]]|厳島神社|Itsukushima-jinja}} which is a [[Shinto]] [[jinja (shrine)|shrine]]. It is known for its "floating" [[torii]] gate.<ref name="nussbaum407">[[Louis-Frédéric|Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric]] (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA407 "''Itsukushima-jinja''"] in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 407.</ref> The historic shrine complex is listed as a [[List of World Heritage Sites in Japan|UNESCO World Heritage Site]], as well as one of the [[National Treasures of Japan|National Treasures]] by the Japanese government.

===Daiganji Temple===
[[File:Daiganji Temple (Miyajima) - DSC02249.JPG|thumb|Daiganji Temple in Miyajima]]
[[File:KATSUSHIKA Isai NICHIREN SHŌNIN ICHIDAI ZUE 1858 Goddess from ITSUKUSHIMA Island.jpg|thumb|ITSUKUSHIMA-NYO or Benzaiten Goddess of Itsukushima Island.]]
Next to the Itsukushima Shrine is Daiganji Temple, dedicated to Goddess [[Benzaiten]] as well as three Buddhas important to [[Shingon Buddhism]].<ref name="visit-miyajima-japan.com"/> Benzaiten Goddess in Japan has been traced to Goddess [[Saraswati]] of Hinduism in India.<ref>Catherine Ludvik (2001), From Sarasvati to Benzaiten, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Toronto, National Library of Canada; [https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/15465/1/NQ58639.pdf PDF Download]</ref> She is the Goddess of eloquence, music, arts, wealth and knowledge. The three Buddha in the temple are Gautama Buddha, Wisdom Buddha and Mercy Buddha.

Daiganji Temple is one of the three most famous Benzaiten Temples in Japan, along with Enoshima Benzaiten ([[Kanagawa]]) and Chikubujima Benzaiten ([[Shiga]]). The Benzaiten is opened to the public only once every year on June 17. On this day, Miyajima holds a big festival, and people of the region visit the temple to offer their prayers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/culture-and-heritage/cultural-heritage-events-and-matsuri/june/grand-festival-benzaiten.html |title=Itsukushima Benzaiten Festival |access-date=2014-08-28 |archive-date=2019-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229170315/http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/culture-and-heritage/cultural-heritage-events-and-matsuri/june/grand-festival-benzaiten.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The precise date for the first construction of Daiganji Benzaiten temple is unclear. It was reconstructed around 1200 AD in the [[Kamakura period]]. The construction date of Itsukushima-jinja and Daiganji temple is estimated to be 6th century or later, and the existence of Itsukushima-jinja is confirmed by early 9th century by ancient Japanese texts. The ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' confirms the sacredness of these Miyajama structures during the Heian Period (794-1184).<ref name="Itsukushima Shinto Shrine"/>

===Daishō-in Temple===
{{main|Daishō-in}}
[[Daishō-in]] is a historic Japanese temple on [[Mount Misen]], the holy mountain on the island. It is the 14th temple in the [[Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage]] and famous for the maple trees and their [[Autumn leaf color|autumn colors]]. It is also called "Suishō-ji". As the headquarters of the Omuro branch of [[Shingon]] Buddhism, it is the most important temple of Miyajima. The temple was the administrator of the Itsukushima shrine before [[Meiji Restoration]] forbade ([[Shinbutsu bunri]]) syncretism ([[Shinbutsu-shūgō]]) between [[Shinto]] and Buddhism in 1868.<ref>Miyajima Misen Daiso-In Temple, Official Publication, http://www.galilei.ne.jp/daisyoin/</ref>

===Senjokaku (Toyokuni Shrine)===
[[File:MiyajimaSenjokaku7474.jpg|thumb|Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Senjō-kaku overlooks Taira no Kiyomori's [[Itsukushima Shrine]]]]

Senjokaku (lit. "pavilion of 1000 mats") is the largest structure at Miyajima Island as the name implies. [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] started construction of Senjokaku as a Buddhist library in which the chanting of Senbu-kyo sutras could be held for fallen soldiers.<ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/travel/quiet-charms-of-miyajima-island Quiet charms of Miyajima island, Neena Mittal, The Straits Times, FEB 14, 2016]</ref> Hideyoshi died in 1598 and the building was never fully completed. Originally, [[Amitabha Buddha]] and two Buddhist saints, [[Ānanda]] and [[Mahākāśyapa]], were enshrined in the structure until the Meiji reformation. Then, the structure was converted into a Shinto shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Numerous votive picture tablets that had been hanging in the Itsukushima Shrine buildings until the Meiji era, have been hung on the walls inside the hall.

===Five-storied Pagoda (Gojunoto)===
[[File:Five-Tiered Pagoda (Miyajima).jpg|thumb|Five-Tiered Pagoda at Itsukushima Shrine]]

The nearby Five-storied Pagoda constructed in 1407 (thus predating Senjokaku) enshrined Yakushi Nyorai Zazo, the Buddha of Medicine said to have been made by [[Kobo Daishi]] himself, accompanied by Fugen Bosatsu (Mercy Buddha) and Monju Bosatsu  (Wisdom Buddha). The three images were moved to the Daiganji Temple during the Meiji reformation.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Miyajima Japan 1913.jpg|Miyajima in 1913
File:MiyajimaKatsuyamajoMarker7451.jpg|Katsuyama Castle once stood on this site
File:Goju-no-to Pagoda, Miyajima.jpg|Goju-no-to Pagoda from Senjō-kaku Temple
File:Deer near the Tori gate.jpg|Deer near the torii gate
File:A cherry blossom bloom near five-stories pagoda On Miyajima Island Japan.jpg|Cherry blossoms near Senjokaku Temple
File:Itsukushima shrine 01.jpg|Itsukushima shrine taken from water with gate (tori) in foreground
File:Sanki-gongen-dō.jpg|Sanki-gongen-dō temple near the summit of Mount Misen
File:The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States 50 Aki.jpg|[[Hiroshige]]
File:Brooklyn Museum - Itsukushima in Aki Province - Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando).jpg|Hiroshige
File:Miyajima in de provincie Aki-Rijksmuseum RP-P-2008-214.jpeg|[[Kunisada]]
File:Hiroshige II Aki Miyajima.jpg|[[Hiroshige II]]
File:Lotus Daishoin Miyajima.jpg|Miniature Lotus flowers at [[Daisho-in]] Miyajima
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Battle of Miyajima]]
*[[Daishō-in]]
*[[List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments]]
*''[[Japanese ship Itsukushima|Itsukushima]]'' - two Imperial Japanese Navy ships named after the site
*[[Itsukushima Shrine]]
*[[Marine Plaza Miyajima]]
*[[Miyajima, Hiroshima]]
*[[Miyao Castle]]
*[[Momijidani Park (Miyajima)|Momijidani Park]]
*[[Mount Misen]]
*[[Setonaikai National Park]]
*[[Taira no Kiyomori]]
*[[Three Views of Japan]]
*[[Tourism in Japan]]
*[[World Heritage Site]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons+cat|Miyajima|Miyajima}}
{{wikivoyage|Miyajima}}
* [https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/node/4318] Guide
* [http://www.miyajima.or.jp/english/index.html Miyajima town guide]
* [https://www.atourworld.com/at-our-world/firewalking-festival-miyajima Firewalking festival Miyajima]{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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{{Three Views of Japan}}
{{Ferries and boats for Miyajima}}
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[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hiroshima Prefecture]]
[[Category:Special Places of Scenic Beauty]]
[[Category:Islands of Hiroshima Prefecture]]
[[Category:Special Historic Sites]]
[[Category:Islands of the Seto Inland Sea]]
[[Category:Geiyo Islands]]
[[Category:Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima]]
[[Category:Itsukushima| ]]
[[Category:Sacred islands]]