Itsukushima

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File:A Miyajima view Itsukushima Shrine.jpg

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.

Frequent ferry services, operated by JR West (JR Miyajima ferry) and by Miyajima Matsudai Tourist Ship, carry traffic between the island and the mainland at Miyajimaguchi. The trip takes about ten minutes.{{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.)}} 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 jam or custard, are popular souvenirs and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are available.{{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}} 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

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 m, is the highest point on the island.{{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}} 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|Kōbō Daishi|弘法大師}} (774–835), including Daishō-in, near the top.{{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}}

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.{{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}}

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

{{main|Itsukushima Shrine}}

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

File:Daiganji Temple (Miyajima) - DSC02249.JPG

File:KATSUSHIKA Isai NICHIREN SHŌNIN ICHIDAI ZUE 1858 Goddess from ITSUKUSHIMA Island.jpg

Next to the Itsukushima Shrine is Daiganji Temple, dedicated to Goddess Benzaiten as well as three Buddhas important to Shingon Buddhism. Benzaiten Goddess in Japan has been traced to Goddess Saraswati of Hinduism in India.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] 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.{{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 }}

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).

{{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 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.Miyajima Misen Daiso-In Temple, Official Publication, http://www.galilei.ne.jp/daisyoin/

File:MiyajimaSenjokaku7474.jpg]]

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.[http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/travel/quiet-charms-of-miyajima-island Quiet charms of Miyajima island, Neena Mittal, The Straits Times, FEB 14, 2016] 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.

File:Five-Tiered Pagoda (Miyajima).jpg

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.

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

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

{{Reflist}}

{{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 }}

{{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:Sacred islands