The island is reached by ferryboat (10-12 min.) from the pier, which is a few min. walk from JR's Miyajima-guchi Station (about 30 min. by train from Hiroshima). Visits to Miyajima are also possible from down-town Hiroshima or from Nishi-Hiroshima Station of the Hiroden (Hiroshima Electric Railway Co.), or by car (30 min.) from Hiroshima.
To get into the spirit of a trip to Miyajima, one should grasp something of the hold this sacred shrine island has had for centuries over the imaginations of the people of the Inland Sea. From the misty beginnings of known Japanese history, the island itself was held sacrosanct by those living in the area, because of its awe inspiring beauty. Perhaps, also, those fishermen who sailed the sea felt strongly the need for supernatural assistance in combating the threatening forces of winds, waves, pirates, and the like. At any rate, this feeling about Miyajima eventually became more formalized, and priests led daily sorties by boat to make offerings on the island.
As worship became more personalized, a goddess was enshrined, Ichiki-shima-Hime-No-Mikoto, a Shinto god, and one of the three daughters of Susano-o-no-Mikoto, from whose name was derived the old name for the island, Isukushima. With the presence of a goddess on the island, some sort of shrine was needed, and early records indicate the existence of such a structure, though not the present shrine, dating as far back as 811 AD. The buildings, which have been reconstructed several times, presently consist of the Main Shrine and several subsidiary shrines and buildings -- all connected by wide corridors or galleries.
The Main Shrine consists of three parts -- the holy of holies, where the goddesses are enshrined, the inner part, where only the priests enter, and the outer portion ofr the public worship. The Main Shrine, Heiden (offering hall), Haiden (purification hall) and the corridors have been designated as "National Treasures".
Miyajima first took on a semblance of its modern dress when the island figured in the ambitions of Taira-no-Kiyomori, one of Japan's strong men of the 12th Century. Kiyomori, coming from Western Japan, felt somewhat out-classed by the polished Kyoto nobility, even after his own rise to prominence. In order to curry favor with the goddess he decided to build a fabulous shrine on Miyajima. It was Kiyomori who really put Miyajima on the map, and the shrine he built in around 1148 AD, the lavor of ten years, is the same one standing today. The feeling of awe for Miyajima Island was so great that Kiyomori built the shrine on stilts over the water, in order to avoid offending the goddess. This unique construction gives the shrine and impressive floating effect at high tide. No one ventured to live on the island, even the priests commuted daily, until the middle of the Kamakura period in the 13th Century. Thus, even after Kiyomori built the impressive structure, the island's valuable real estate was utilized only by wild animals, birds, and of course, the three goddesses, Princesses Tagori-Hime, Tagitsu-Hime and the aforementioned. The people who eventually inhabited the sacred island were under severe restrictions. Shinto being a religion of purity, anything considered unclean was prohibited. They were forbidden to till the ground, to give birth, to die, or to be buried on their island. Until about 100 years ago, Miyajima women went to Honshu to bear their children and remained there for from 50 to 100 days for purification prior to their return. This custom is still partially enforced in that even today there are no hospitals or cemetaries on the island.
However, history reveals one dramatic desecration of Miyajima and its shrine in the year 1555 AD. During the fierce clan warfare of that period a decisive battle was fought on Miyajima between clans of Sue Harukata of the Yamaguchi area and the defending Aki area forces led by Mohri Motonari. Mohri Motonari had built a castle on Miyajima and was attacked there by Sue's warriors in a bloddy battle that raged in the very corridors of the sacred shrine. Motonari's decisive victory on Miyajima led to his eventual dominance of the whole Chugoku region. (Incidentally, Motonari's son, Terumoto, dounded the city of Hiroshima and build Hiroshima's "Carp Castle", which was destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1958). It is interesting to note that Motonari's first thought after his victory in battle was to make amends for the terrible desecration of the island. He and his warriors removed the 5,000 dead and the wounded and washed the whole shrine. This scrubbing of the shrine was repeated as an annual ceremony for many years.
A very special feature of Miyajima is BUGAKU or sacred shrine music and dancing, which was introduced to the island by Kiyomori. This is one of the few places outside the Imperial Palace where BUGAKU is presented in its authentic form. BUGAKU originated in China (with perhaps some influence from India) and in Korea. This influence from two cultures is preserved in the existence of two shelters in which the flute and drum BUGAKU "orchestra" performs, moving from one to the other, depending upon whether the dance is of Chinese or Korean origin. The dance apparently accompanied Buddhism to Japan as was used in religious ceremonies, and finally on court occasions. Preserved in Japan, BUGAKU has long since disappeared from its countries of origin.
Kiyomori knew of this art form and gave elaborate parties in his garden in Kyoto at which BUGAKU was performed on a colorful boat floating on the garden pond. The famous musical festival of Kangensai, held annually at Miyajima on a midsummer night under a full moon, is still attended by fishing boats from all over the Inland Sea, and features a shrine boat which carries BUGAKU musicians from the sacred island to the mainland and back. The Kangensai Festival is actually a reproduction, on a grandiose scale, of Kiyomori's parties beside the pond in his garden in Kyoto.
BUGAKU is performed only rarely or for special guests. The Ranryo-O dance is featured on many travel posters of Miyajima. It portrays the heroic deeds of the ruler of third century China. Ranryo-O, a valiant warrior but gentle of mien. This kindly faced ruler is said to have worn a grotesque mask to hide his too gentle countenance. The mask now used in the dance is a "new one" being only about 400 years old. The older mask reposes in the museum on the island and is a Japanese National Treasure. Ranryo-O, is normally performed only on occasions of national importance, such as enthronement of the Emperor and the restoration of peace after the war.
Also of interest in the shrine is its Noh theater, judged to be one of the three best in Japan. Once a year this weathered old theater comes to life when a Noh throupe arrives to give a three-day performance. However, the actors do not bring their own costumes as is customary elsewhere, but use the treasured shrine costumes and masks. Although most of the costumes are stored in a vault between these annual performances, the costumes used for the Yuya dance may be seen in the Miyajima Museum. The area under any Noh stage is hollow and usually buckets of water are placed beneath the stage to provide proper resonance for the dancers' stamping feet. The Noh stage at Miyajima, however, is unique in that the buckets are unnecessary. At high tide the Miyajima stage lies over water sufficient to satisfy the stamping taste of even the most demanding Noh dancer.
Further points of interest near the shrine are worth mentioning. One is the dramatic famous Torii symbolizing the entrance of the shrine, which is built in the seawall, one of the largest and most beautiful in Japan, and a well-known Miyajima trademark. The present torii was completed in 1875, and is the twelfth to stand in that spot. Previous torii were destroyed by fire or typhoons. For those statistically minded, it may be interesting to know that the two main pillars of the torii are made of camphor three trucks. At their base, these two pillars measure about 13 feet in diameter. The torii is 52-1/2 feet high and the cross piece on top measure 75-1/2 feet. To convey some idea of the structure's weight, in 1951 the bottom 12 feet of wood used to repair just one of the two main pillars weighed 16 tons. In additon, the torii's cross piece is constructed like an empty box and is filled with stones to increase its weight. The torii base is not imbedded in the sand, but merely rests on the sea floor by its own vast weight. It is designated as an Important Cultural Property.
Another point of interest inside the shrine area itself is the Yasuyori-dono, one of the oldest stone lanterns in Japan. It seems that Yasuyori was accused of treason and banished by Kiyomori to a deserted island near Kyushu. This hapless exile, lonely for his beloved mother, resorted to floating pieces of wood upon the ocean, each inscribed with a nostalgic poem to his mother. One of the poems floated into the shrine at Miyajima, where it was discovered by a priest who showed Yasuyori's seaborne poetry to Kiyomori. Filial devotion apparently won the day, and Kiyomori forhwith pardoned the exiled man. Yasuyori showed his gratitude by donating the stone lantern to the shrine. The lantern stands within the shrine enclosure, near a large rock which is said to mark the spot where Yasuyori's lucky poem was found.
There is a mixture of shinto and Buddhist influence in the architecture of the shrine and buildings of Miyajima, due to the close relationship that prevailed between the two religous for hundreds of years. After the Meiji restoration, budhism was separated from the national religion, and the shrine was made primarily shinto.
Senjokaku Pavilion, or Hall of One Thousand Mats, is the old building to the left of the shrine, located on a hill. Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi erected this outstanding pavilion from the wood of a single camphor-three and dedicated it to the shrine in 1587.
The five-story pagoda close by soars to a height of 27.6 m (92 ft) a fascinating vermilion red colored and is known as the combined beauty of Japanese and Chinese architectural styles. Records indicate that it was built around 1407 AD.
There is an aquarium along the seashore with many rare kinds of fish aquatic animals which may also be enjoyed.
Admission fees are required for Itsukushima Shrine, the Treasure House, Senjokaku, and the Aquarium.
You are strongly advised not to miss the peak of Mr. Misen. Mt. Missen (alt. 530 m or 1,739 ft) densely covered with primeval forest, at the back of the itsukushima Shrine can be ascended in 20 min by ropeway from Momijidani (Maple Valley) Park at its foot. At the summit, in spring and autumn especially, the view of the Inland Sea with its innumerable islets is incredibly beautiful, a misty day, however, can be a disappointment. The rope-way is composed of two types. One is the circulating type and the other is to-and-fro type. The circulating-type rope-way is driven between Momijidani base station and Kayatani intermediate station. It is about 1100 m in length and takes about 9 min to over the distance. The to-and-fro type runs between Kayatani station and Shinshiwa terminal. It is about 530 m in length and takes 3 odd minutes to run between.
In autumn, viewing the red maple leaves in the Maple Valley is popular, but be prepared for crowds both at that time and in spring when the cherry blossoms are out.