Itsukushima

Itsukushima (aka Miyajima)
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The island is one of the most scenic places in Japan. Itsukushima Shrine was first mentioned in records in 881 A.D. The main shrine was damaged twice by fire in the early 1200s and by typhoon in 1325.

LINKS
Hatsukaichi City, Miyajima Tourist Office. http://www.miyajima-wch.jp/en/nature1.html
Hiroshima Prefecture: World Heritage, Itsukushima Shrine. Photos and map. http://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/hiroshima/bunka/htmleng/elegacy4.htm
Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), Itsuku-shima-jinja Shrine. http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/hiroshima/itsukushimajinja.html
"Miyajima, an Island where People and Gods Live Together." Official Website of Miyajima Tourism. Island map, videos, and photos. http://www.miyajima-wch.jp/index_e.html
UNESCO World Heritage site—Itsukushima Shinto Shrine. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/776

From "My Travelogue Manga of Japan (Sans Drawings)," by Kat Avila, Sequential Tart, May 2006:

Saturday, 1 April 2006
Overnight lodging: Beppu Youth Hostel

I take a JR boat to Miyajima Island. Mt. Mizen is my Mt. Fuji on this trip. I meet a guy from Switzerland, then a German couple who are on their way down. I am passed by a couple of German guys on the way up. A French couple passes me. I am not in the best shape for this. On the way down, I meet two girls from Pennsylvania who are teaching English in Japan.

By 3 p.m., the tide has gone out and tourists are walking across wet sand and seaweed to take pictures up close of the famous torii (shrine gate). Families are digging for clams.

ferry departure from Miyajima-guchi
floating camphorwood* o-torii (grand shrine gate) *In Japan and China, sacred items were made from camphorwood.		deer in front of Miyajima Pier
				Itsukushima Shrine in the background
gojunoto (five-story pagoda)		Itsukushima Shrine priests and tourists in the corridors
		pine and o-torii		deer and o-torii
deer & pagoda	pagoda		Tahoto	weird tree

DAISHO-IN TEMPLE 210 Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima-ken, 739-0592, JAPAN http://www.galilei.ne.jp/daisyoin/ (in Japanese only) Hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. No admission fee. A major temple of the Shingon Buddhist sect. Emperor Meiji once stayed here in 1885.
Niomon temple gate. Nio (Deva kings) stand guard at the entry. The red Deva's mouth is open while the green Deva's mouth is closed to represent universal principles.		Another view of the gate.			stairs (ugh!)
		tengu mythological being	tengu mythological being	temple roof
Jūni-shi zodiac	Jūni-shi zodiac with each year represented: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, boar.		Henshokutsu Cave is behind them. Within the cave are 88 statues, each representing a temple on a pilgrimage route in the region of Shikoku.
outdoor altar	outdoor altar with daruma ema tablets	Seven Gods of Good Fortune: Ebisu, Daikoku, Bishamon, Benten, Jurōjin, Fukurokuju, Hotei		tanuki (raccoon dog)	daruma (associated with a good luck charm) Bodhidharma, founder of Zen Buddhism

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