Itsukushima
厳島
廿日市市 · JP
Itsukushima — the sacred Hiroshima island where the mountain itself is the god
A 30.2 km2 granite island in northwest Hiroshima Bay, popularly called Miyajima. Worshipped as a deity in its own right since antiquity, its 535-metre Mt. Misen primeval forest and sacred sika deer were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape in 1996.
Best Season & Time
Maples blaze in Momijidani and on Mt. Misen; with the Seto multi-island panorama, the year's best moment.
★★★★★
Cherry blossoms along Machiya-dori, fresh Misen greens, and the deer's fawning season.
★★★★☆
Swimming, Misen hiking and the annual Miyajima Underwater Fireworks Festival peak together.
★★★☆☆
Snow-dusted Misen and the New Year's Day first sunrise feel mystical, ropeway service reduced.
★★★☆☆
Top 3 Highlights
1.Mt. Misen summit — Seto Inland Sea panorama
From the 535-metre summit, the highest point on the island, the Seto Inland Sea opens out to Nomi-shima and Etajima. Ito Hirobumi declared the true value of Japan's Three Views lay in this view, and a ropeway plus a 30-minute hike brings you to the sacred outlook.
Shoot from Shishi-iwa observatory or the summit shrine; morning light 7-9 am works best.
2.Momijidani Park — the maple valley in autumn
At the foot of Mt. Misen, this park follows a mountain stream lined with about 700 maples — Iroha, O- and Yama-momiji. From mid- to late November the whole valley glows scarlet, and the contrast with the Misen forest rising above is unforgettable.
Walk from the entrance toward Momiji-bashi bridge; afternoon backlight reveals the leaf veins.
3.Sika deer — sacred messengers of the gods
Roughly 500 wild sika deer live on Itsukushima, treated as messengers of the Shinto gods and protected from hunting since antiquity. They wander freely through village lanes, shrine approaches and beaches, a sacred daily scene found on no other Japanese island.
Tsutsumi-ga-ura park or Machiya-dori at dawn; eye-level framing, never feed or touch.
Stories & Legends
Recommended For
Insider Tips
- 1.Three trails climb Mt. Misen — Momijidani, Daisho-in and Omoto. From the Shishi-iwa upper ropeway station it is 30 minutes on foot to the summit; for stamina, take the Daisho-in route to pass Misen Hondo and Reikado on Kobo Daishi's original pilgrimage path.
- 2.Miyajima deer are sacred messengers, but feeding and touching them is forbidden by ordinance; paper and plastic bags get snatched, so keep everything inside your pack. A quiet morning fawn-watching spot is Tsutsumi-ga-ura car park before tour buses arrive.
- 3.After the 6 pm ferry takes day-trippers back to the mainland, only overnight guests remain and Machiya-dori falls into striking stillness. One overnight stay lets you walk the island at dusk and sunrise and meet both its tourist and sacred faces.
Visit Information
- Access
- From JR Hiroshima Station, take the Sanyo Main Line about 26 minutes to JR Miyajimaguchi; from Miyajimaguchi pier the JR West Miyajima Ferry or Miyajima Matsudai Kisen reaches the island in roughly 10 minutes. A high-speed boat from Hiroshima Port is also available.
- Time Required
- Half a day for the village core, a full day with a Mt. Misen climb.
- Budget Guide
- Ferry return around JPY 360 (as of 2024), Mt. Misen ropeway return around JPY 2,000, plus a small Misen conservation contribution. Confirm current rates on the official sites.
Nearby Attractions
On the island, Daisho-in (a head temple of the Omuro Shingon school linked to Kobo Daishi) and Daiganji (one of Japan's three great Benzaiten temples) sit within walking distance. Within an hour by ferry and train lie the Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Shukkeien Garden.
Go Deeper
Deeper details for those with the time to read on.
Timeline
- 593
Founding tradition of the shrine
Tradition records that Saeki no Kuramoto founded Itsukushima Shrine in the first year of Empress Suiko's reign. The island itself had long been worshipped as the dwelling of the three Munakata goddesses.
- 1168
Taira no Kiyomori rebuilds the shrine
In the third year of Nin'an, Taira no Kiyomori, Governor of Aki, rebuilt the complex in shinden-zukuri style and devised an unprecedented pilgrimage by boat passing through the great torii.
- 1555
Battle of Miyajima
In the 24th year of Tenbun, the island became the battlefield where Mori Motonari's surprise attack annihilated the army of Sue Harukata, securing Mori control of western Japan.
- 1587
Senjokaku construction begins
Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the priest Ankokuji Ekei to begin Senjokaku, the Toyokuni Shrine main hall, but Hideyoshi's death within a decade left the building permanently unfinished.
- 1643
Origin of the Three Views
In the twentieth year of Kan'ei, Hayashi Gaho ranked Itsukushima with Matsushima and Amanohashidate as one of the three remarkable scenes, the origin of the Three Views of Japan.
- 1900
Scheduled ferry route opens
A scheduled ferry route was opened in the 33rd year of Meiji, ending dependence on traditional river-crossing boats; Ito Hirobumi sponsored a hiking trail to Mt. Misen's summit.
- 1934
Setonaikai National Park
In the ninth year of Showa, the whole island and surrounding waters became a Special Protection Zone of Setonaikai National Park under the Natural Parks Act of Japan.
- 1950
Renamed Miyajima-cho
In the 25th year of Showa the postwar municipal name was changed from Itsukushima-cho to Miyajima-cho, aligning local government with the more popular tourism-era name.
- 1952
Double special-status designation
In the 27th year of Showa, the island received the rare double designation of Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty, with the Misen primeval forest separately a Natural Monument.
- 1996
UNESCO World Heritage
In the eighth year of Heisei, Itsukushima Shrine together with the Mt. Misen primeval forest was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an integrated cultural landscape.
- 2005
Merger into Hatsukaichi City
In the 17th year of Heisei, the town of Miyajima merged into the city of Hatsukaichi, placing the island within a new administrative framework.
- 2012
Ramsar Convention wetland
On 3 July 2012, a coastal stretch was registered as a Ramsar Convention wetland because it supports the habitat of the rare Miyajima dragonfly, Miyajimatombo.
- 2021
Traditional buildings district
In the third year of Reiwa, the streetscape around Itsukushima Shrine was selected as the Hatsukaichi City Miyajima-cho Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
- 2024
4.85 million annual visitors
Hatsukaichi City reported that the Miyajima district received a record 4.85 million visitors in 2024, a peak driven by domestic pilgrims, hikers and international tourism.
Detailed History
Geologically, Itsukushima is a granite massif raised by the faulting of the Chugoku Mountains and severed from the mainland when sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. From earliest antiquity the island itself was an object of nature worship. Tradition holds that in 593, the first year of Empress Suiko's reign, the chieftain Saeki no Kuramoto founded Itsukushima Shrine, but the buildings only assumed their present form in the late Heian period: in 1168, Taira no Kiyomori, Governor of Aki, rebuilt the complex in shinden-zukuri palatial style and devised an unprecedented pilgrimage by boat through the great torii. Minamoto no Yoritomo visited in 1185, and shrine buildings burned in 1207 and 1223 were repeatedly rebuilt. In 1555 the island hosted the Battle of Miyajima, where Mori Motonari's surprise attack annihilated the army of Sue Harukata and secured Mori control of western Japan. In 1587 Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the priest Ankokuji Ekei to begin Senjokaku, the Toyokuni Shrine main hall, but Hideyoshi's death left it unfinished. After Hiroshima domain passed to the Asano family in 1619, Miyajima was placed under direct domain rule and governed by the 'three Miyajima offices' throughout the Edo period. In 1643 Hayashi Gaho ranked Itsukushima with Matsushima and Amanohashidate as one of the three remarkable scenes — the origin of the Three Views of Japan. After the 1868 Shinbutsu Bunri edict, Buddhist images were moved to Daiganji, and Itsukushima-cho was established in 1889. A scheduled ferry route opened in 1900, pilgrim numbers surged, and Ito Hirobumi sponsored a hiking trail to the Misen summit. In 1934 the whole island became a Special Protection Zone of Setonaikai National Park. In 1950 the municipality was renamed Miyajima-cho, and in 1952 the island was designated both a Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, with the Misen primeval forest separately designated a Natural Monument. In 1996 Itsukushima Shrine and the Misen primeval forest were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape. In 2005 the town merged into Hatsukaichi City; in 2012 a coastal stretch was registered as a Ramsar wetland for the rare Miyajima dragonfly; and in 2021 the streetscape was selected as a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Hatsukaichi City reports a record 4.85 million visitors in 2024.
Cultural Significance
Itsukushima holds the rare distinction of double designation in 1952 as both a Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, with the Misen primeval forest separately a Natural Monument. The 1996 UNESCO World Heritage inscription evaluated the island as an integrated cultural landscape rather than a single building, making it unusual among Japanese World Heritage sites in that the heritage value resides in the whole island and the harmony of its nature and human activity. Three names coexist: Itsukushima — the older name preferred by academic and government documents and by the GSI — Miyajima, preferred by the Forestry Agency and tourism, and Aki no Miyajima, the regional form. The Three Views of Japan, from Hayashi Gaho's Edo-era essay pairing the island with Matsushima and Amanohashidate, still anchors tourism marketing today. TripAdvisor named Itsukushima the top spot for foreign visitors in Japan in 2011, and alongside the Atomic Bomb Dome it is internationally synonymous with Hiroshima Prefecture. In Shinto belief the deer are messengers of the gods, protected from hunting since antiquity; the shamoji rice paddle is said to have been invented by a Buddhist monk on the island; and momiji-manju, maple-leaf cakes, are the canonical Miyajima souvenir — small evidence that faith and daily life remain intertwined here.
