Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima, which is also called Miyajima. It is famous for its "floating" torii gate. The shrine is located in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Visitors can reach it by taking a ferry from Miyajimaguchi Station on the mainland. The shrine complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Japanese government has named several buildings and items there as National Treasures.

Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan's most visited places. It is best known for its large torii gate near the entrance, the holy mountains of Mount Misen, large forests, and beautiful ocean views. The shrine complex includes two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja. There are also 17 other buildings and structures that make the shrine unique.

History

Itsukushima Shrine was the main Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Aki Province. This shrine is one of the "Three Great Shrines of Aki Province," along with Take Shrine and Hayatani Shrine.

The first torii on the site was built in 569, likely by Saeki Kuramoto during the time when Empress Suiko ruled (592–628 CE). A torii has been present at the site since 1168, but the current structure was built in 1875. The present shrine is often credited to Taira no Kiyomori, a powerful noble and later high-ranking official who helped build the shrine during his time as governor of Aki Province in 1168. Another important supporter was Mōri Motonari, leader of the Chōshū Domain, who rebuilt the honden (main hall) in 1571. Motonari is said to have made the island less holy by fighting there in 1555, as spilling blood broke the strict rules meant to keep Shinto shrines pure. The only structure from the Kamakura period still standing at Itsukushima Shrine is the Kyakuden, or "Guest-God's Shrine."

During the 12th century, it was common for nobles to build shrines or other buildings to show their power and wealth. The Taira clan was known for trading with the Song dynasty (960–1279) and for trying to control trade along the Inland Sea.

Kiyomori was at the peak of his power when he built the Taira dominion over the island. He ordered the construction of the main hall of Itsukushima Shrine to honor the god of navigation and to use it as a base for maritime activities. Miyajima soon became the family shrine of the Taira clan. Kiyomori chose the location to show he was different from others who followed traditional Shinto pilgrimage practices. He spent a lot of money on Itsukushima and enjoyed showing it to friends, colleagues, and even important royal figures.

It is also said that Kiyomori rebuilt the shrine after having a dream about an old monk who promised him control over Japan if he built a shrine on Miyajima Island and honored the kami (spirits) there. The renovations funded by the Taira family helped Itsukushima grow into an important religious center.

Religious significance

The Itsukushima shrine honors the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto: Ichikishimahime no mikoto, Tagorihime no mikoto, and Tagitsuhime no mikoto. These deities, also called the sanjoshin or "three female deities," are associated with the sea and storms. Kiyomori believed these goddesses were forms of Kannon, a Buddhist bodhisattva, which led people to see the island as Kannon’s home. The name Itsukushima means "island dedicated to the gods" in Japanese. Because the island is considered a god itself, the shrine was built on the edge of the island. Mount Misen, the tallest mountain on the island, rises about 1,755 feet (535 meters). Visitors can reach the top by hiking or taking a ropeway.

The shrine’s treasures include the Heike Nōkyō, or "Sutras dedicated by the House of Taira." These are thirty-two scrolls containing copies of the Lotus, Amida, and Heart sutras. Kiyomori and members of his family each completed one scroll, and the scrolls were decorated with silver, gold, and mother-of-pearl by Kiyomori and his clan.

Originally, Itsukushima was a Shinto shrine where no births or deaths were allowed to keep it pure. Because the island was sacred, commoners were not permitted to walk on it for much of its history. To protect the shrine’s purity, no births or deaths have been allowed near it since 1878. Pregnant women, the terminally ill, and the elderly are expected to leave the island as their time of birth or death approaches. Burials on the island are not allowed. To allow visitors to approach, the shrine was built on pillars above the water, making it look like it floats. The red entrance gate, called a torii, was also built over water. Visitors had to guide their boats through the torii before reaching the shrine.

Architecture

Japan has worked hard to protect the twelfth-century-style architecture of the Shrine throughout history. The shrine was built using the Shinden-zukuri style, with pier-like structures over Matsushima Bay to create the appearance of floating on water, separate from the island. People could reach it "like a palace on the sea." This blending of architecture and nature was common during the 16th century and the Heian period, when Japanese buildings often "followed their environment," allowing natural elements like trees and water to become part of the design. This created a closer connection between buildings and nature.

The most well-known feature of the Itsukushima Shrine is its 50-foot-tall (15 m) vermilion otorii gate ("great gate"), made from strong camphor wood. Each main pillar has an extra leg in front and behind, showing that the gate follows the style of Ryōbu Shintō (dual Shinto), a medieval school of esoteric Japanese Buddhism linked to the Shingon Sect. The gate appears to float only during high tide. When the tide is low, visitors can walk to it from the island. Collecting shellfish near the gate is popular at low tide. At night, bright lights on the shore light up the structure. The current torii was built in 1875, but a gate has stood on that site since 1168.

Shinto architecture includes several key parts, such as the shrine’s honden (main hall) and the unusually long haiden (main oratory) and heiden (offertory hall). The honden is an eight-by-four bay structure with a kirizuma roof covered in cypress bark. Its walls are decorated with white stucco, applied in a process requiring fifteen coats, with vermilion woodwork.

A noh stage extends from the sides of the haraiden of the main shrine. This stage was built in 1590. Noh theater performances have long been used to honor the gods by acting out important events from Shinto myths.

On September 5, 2004, the shrine was seriously damaged by Typhoon Songda. The boardwalks and roof were partially destroyed, and the shrine was temporarily closed for repairs. Today, anyone can visit the shrine for a cost of 300 yen.

Kangen-sai ritual

The Kangen-sai festival at Itsukushima Jinja (Itsukushima Shrine) in Japan is the largest and most detailed Shinto ceremony held at the shrine. It began during the Heian period (794–1185) and happens every year on June 17 according to the lunar calendar, which is usually between late July and early August. The festival was started by the Heike warlord Taira no Kiyomori in the 12th century to honor the shrine’s deities and is one of Japan’s three biggest boat-related festivals.

The main part of the festival is a boat parade. A small shrine that carries the deities is placed on a "goza-bune" boat, which is made by joining three traditional boats together. Musicians play kangen court music, an ancient style of Japanese music using stringed instruments, drums, and flutes. The festival recreates a performance from the past, turning it into a Shinto ritual on the holy island of Miyajima.

The ceremony starts in the late afternoon with rituals at Itsukushima Shrine. As it gets dark, the boats carrying the deities and musicians travel through the water near the shrine, moving in circles while playing music. A special moment happens when the boats spin dramatically in a narrow channel near the shrine, matching the rhythm of the music. Later, the boats go to Jigozen Shrine on the opposite shore for more ceremonies before returning to Itsukushima Shrine by nightfall.

Kangen-sai mixes religious traditions with the culture of ancient Japanese courts. It shows the shrine’s importance and its protection by Taira no Kiyomori. The festival has lasted for more than 1,000 years and continues to highlight traditional music, boat parades, and Shinto beliefs on Miyajima Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kangen-sai gallery

• Kangen-sai ritual, Itsukushima jinja, Japan, July 11, 2025
• Kangen-sai ritual, Itsukushima jinja, Japan, July 11, 2025
• Kangen-sai ritual, Itsukushima jinja, Japan, July 11, 2025
• Kangen-sai ritual, Itsukushima jinja, Japan, July 11, 2025
• Kangen-sai ritual, Itsukushima jinja, Japan, July 11, 2025

Gallery

• The torii at low tide
• The torii at sunset
• The torii at night
• The torii at low tide, from the inside of the shrine
• The shrine's buildings are constructed on water.
• Barrels of sake in one of the shrine's floating buildings
• The shrine's halls and pathways on stilts
• The torii gate as seen from the castle at low tide
• The torii with a visitor and view of the Seto Inland Sea
• Five-Tiered Pagoda at Itsukushima
• Deer near the torii gate
• Panorama of the floating torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine
• 2016 G7 ministerial meetings
• Inside of Itsukushima main shrine (Haiden)
• Bridge in Miyajima
• Tahōtō Pagoda
• Chashitsu in its garden setting, circa 1900
• President Joe Biden greets Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Priest (Guuji) Motoaki Nosaka on May 19, 2023

• Aki Province: Itsukushima, Depiction of a Festival (Aki, Itsukushima, Sairei no zu) from Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces by Hiroshige
• Itsukushima in Aki Province by Hiroshige
• Miyajima in Aki Province by Kunisada
• Aki Miyajima Shiohigari from 100 Views of the Provinces by Hiroshige II
• Itsukushima Shrine by Kobayashi Kiyochika
• Mori Motonari Attacking Sue Harutaka at Itsukushima by Yoshitoshi
• Itsukushima moon (Itsukushima no tsuki) by Yoshitoshi
• Snow on a clear day at Miyajima (Seiten no yuki [Miyajima]), woodblock print, from the series Souvenirs of Travel II (Tabi miyage dai nishū) by Hasui Kawase
• Illumination of Lotus Sutra donated in 1164
• Itsukushima Shrine mon