Miyajima, home of Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, floats on the Seto Inland Sea, known as the “Mediterranean of Japan” due to its warm climate. The gateway to Miyajima is “Miyajimaguchi”, which is approximately 25 minutes by train from Hiroshima, the central city of the Chugoku District. From there, you can take a ferry to reach Miyajima. After sailing across a rushing sea for about five minutes, standing on the deck and feeling the sea breeze, a large vermillion Torii gate that stands over the sea will come into view. This gate is the gateway to the sacred area.
Itsukushima Shrine changes its expression dramatically with the ebb and flow of the tide and by day and night. During high tide, the brilliant vermillion color of the shrine pavilion stands out against the water surface. During low tide, you can walk on the dry beach until you are just below the Torii gate. When viewed from directly below, the majesty of the great Torii gate, made from unprocessed camphor trees and weighing approximately 60 tons, is overwhelming. After sunset, the shrine is illuminated and emerges over a jet-black sea, and it can be viewed from the sea by boat. Encounters with the various faces of Itsukushima Shrine naturally remind us of the fact that it is a shrine for goddesses.
Why was Itsukushima Shrine built over the sea? Because building something on the land of a sacred island where gods reside was considered profane. This belief generated a unique concept of building out over the sea on the foreshore area. The 17 buildings, including the main shrine that enshrines the three goddesses, are connected by a long corridor, which reaches a total length of 262 meters. This shrine pavilions boast the largest area among shrines in Japan. Although there are many religious structures in the world that express a longing for the heavens in physical form by building upward, a religious building that pursues sideways expansion is unique, even on a global scale.
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