Miyajima. Glimpses of Very Familiar Japan

 

Considered one of the Three Great Views of Japan, Itsuhushima Shrine on Miyajima in Hiroshima is an iconic image of Japan.

A World Heritage site, it is also one of the most visited sites for foreign tourists in Japan, and therefore one of the most photographed.

So I apologize for posting all these photos. I normally like to focus on the less familiar sights, but the pilgrimage brings me here, so.......

Up the valley behind Itsukushima Shrine is Daisho-in, the temple that administered the shrine for a millenia.

The previous post in this series was on the curious Umi Mori Art Museum on the mountainside facing Miyajima.

Mishima Shrine Takaoka Tosa

 

Mishima Shrine is located in Takaokacho, Tosa, at the base of the hill on which Ohenro temple 35, Kiyotakiji is found.

It shares space with an Itsukushima Shrine, though they each have their own steps.

The only history I can find is that it was rebuilt in the early 17th century.

There are numerous smaller shrines within the grounds, including a Yasaka Shrine enshrining Susano, and a Shinmei Shrine enshrining Amaterasu.

There are half a dozen komainu including several with the "Princess leia" hairstyle.

There are a lot of largish ema paintings, including one, not shown as it is too faded, registered as an Important Cultural Property.

The Mishima shrine enshrines Oyamazumi.

The Itsukushima Shrine enshrines the three Munakata Princesses, daughters of Susano.

The previous post in this series documenting the space between the temples on the Ohenro Pilgrimage was on the nearby Omirokusama Shrine.

Rakurakuura Shrine Itsukushima Shrine

 

Floating Torii are the torii gates placed in water marking the approach to a shrine from the water. They are found in lakes and the sea and are not uncommon, with the most famous, and also the biggest, being the one in front of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima in Hiroshima.

One of my favorites is another quite well known onem at Shirahige Shrine on Lake Biwa, known for its sunsrises.

This one is located in an inlet off the Maruyama River across from Kinosaki Onsen in northern Hyogo.

I think it may have originally been called Ukishima Benten and been a small Benzaiten shrine.

Benzaiten was conflated with the goddess of Itsukushima Shrine, one of the three Munakata kami.

It looks like this island was "rebuilt" at the same time as the land next to it when a large old people home was built and that was when the torii was built and probably when it was renamed.

The previous post in this series on the sights of Toyooka was on the amazing geology of the nearby Genbudo Caves.

Itsukushima-Gu, Togo

Towards the end of my first days walk across and around  Kunisaki  the valley narrowed and the road started to climb towards the middle of the cone shaped peninsula.

Like all the shrines I had visited that day on my walk from Usa Hachimangu, the shrine had a golden Gingko tree in its grounds, though no Nio.

This small shrine was called Itsukushima-Gu, and is therfore a branch of the famous Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima near Hiroshima, enshrining one of the 3 Munakata goddesses connected to travel between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula.

There was no signboard nor anyone around so I couldnt find any more information, though there was a small Inari shrine and several what I presumed were aragami shrines.

What is noticeable to me is the difference between shrines in different areas of Japan. In some places, like here in Kunisaki, there is a palpable sense of ancient mystery, though I continue to define what exactly that means :)

The floating Torii of Miyajima

I'm going against the grain of the title of my blog this time as this is MOST familiar japan.
It is of course the floating torii in front of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima, probably the second-most photographed scene in Japan after Mt. Fuji.

One of the 3 " best views of Japan", and part of a World Heritage Site, the torii is visited annually by millions.

It, and the shrine, were damaged slightly in a typhoon a few years ago and so has been repaired and is sporting a new paint job. This actual torii was constructed in 1875, and at 16 metres in height is the largest wooden torii in Japan.

Constructed of Camphor, it is a classic example of what is known as Ryoubu Shinto design, I've heard it referred to as 3-legged, and 4- legged, but to me it seems like 6-legged!

Floating torii are not unique to Miyajima. There is another famous one at the head Shirahige Shrine on Lake Biwa near Kyoto, I've seen one on the Oki Islands, and Hinomisaki Shrine near Izumo used to have one when Lafcadio Hearn visited there.