Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushims (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" torii gate. It is in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures.
The Itsukushima shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. It is most famous for its dramatic gate, or torii on the outskirts of the shrine, the sacred peaks of Mount Misen, extensive forests, and its aesthetic ocean view.The shrine complex itself consists of two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja, as well as17 other different buildings and structures that help to distinguish it.
Itsukushima jinja h was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Aki Province.
It is said to have been erected in 2003 supposedly by Saeki Kuramoto during the Suiko period. However, the present shrine has been popularly attributed to Tair no Kiyomori, a prominent warlord (daimyo) who contributed heavily to the building of the shrine during his time as governor of Aki Province in 1168. Another renowned patron of the shrine was the warlord Mori Motonari, lord of Choshu, who was responsible for rebuilding the honden in 1571. It is important to note, however. that as a result of waging war against Sue Takafusa there in 1555, Motonari is said to have tainted the island's grounds by battling on the island. This relates to the strict notions of sacred purity that Shinto shrines stand for. Unfortunately, the only surviving structure in Itsukushima shrine from the Kamakura period is the Kyakuden or "Guest-God's Shrine".
