Itsukushima Shrine is located in the northeastern part of Itsukushima (Miyajima) in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, at the northern foot of Mount Misen. It is the head shrine of approximately 500 Itsukushima Shrines across Japan and was historically known as “Itsukishima Jinja.” Recognized as a shikinai-sha (Myōjin Taisha) and the Ichinomiya of Aki Province, it held the former rank of kanpei chūsha (mid-ranking government-supported shrine) and is currently listed as a Beppyo shrine under the Association of Shinto Shrines. The shrine crest features a “triple and double tortoise-shell pattern with a sword and hanabishi.”
The shrine gained renown through its association with the Taira clan, particularly Taira no Kiyomori, who in the late Heian period oversaw the construction of the magnificent shrine buildings that stand over the sea today. The main hall, worship hall, and corridors—six structures in total—are designated as National Treasures, with fourteen additional structures recognized as Important Cultural Properties. The shrine also houses an extensive collection of cultural assets, including the Heike Nōkyō manuscripts donated by the Taira clan, which are themselves designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.
Itsukushima Shrine’s Hirabutai stage (National Treasure, with appurtenances) is counted among the “Three Great Stages of Japan” alongside the Noh stage and Kyoto’s Minami-za Theatre. The vermilion ō-torii gate, rising 16 meters from the sea, is an Important Cultural Property and one of the “Three Great Torii Gates of Japan.” The annual summer Kangen-sai festival is one of the island’s most celebrated events.
The main deities enshrined are the three Munakata goddesses: Ichikishimahime-no-Mikoto, Tagorihime-no-Mikoto, and Tagitsuhime-no-Mikoto. During the period of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, Ichikishimahime-no-Mikoto became associated with the Buddhist goddess Benzaiten, and together with the adjacent Daiganji Temple, formed a grand sacred complex. Even today, Daiganji is regarded as one of the “Three Great Benzaiten Temples of Japan.”
