Friday, May 6, 2016

Miyajima Kaleidoscopes... Part II

And we snaked our way through the narrow alleyways of Miyajima island to head to the Itsukushima Shrine



Miyajima also known as Itsukushima island is a 30 square kilometer island in the western part of Seto Inland Sea within the Hiroshima Bay. Miyajima in Japanese means the "shrine island". The island is regarded as the island of Gods and is also regarded as one of the most scenic spots in Japan.


Deer roam around the area surrounding the Itsukushima Shrine - some of them can get pretty aggressive...


Alas, the weather hasn't yet opened up...





"Rain, Rain Go Away!"




The great Torii or the O'torii - an enduring symbol of Miyajima is considered to be the boundary between the spirit and the human worlds. The first Torii of Itsukushima Shrine was constructed in 1168 and was built about 200 meters offshore...


The vermilion color of the O-torii is considered as sacred to to keep evil spirits away...



The best time to visit the O'torii is at dusk when it stands out against the golden sky. But here we are during the day, I wish we had known this before...


A friendly deer...





The O'torii makes for a beautiful sight...



And there we are at the Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine buildings are coated with vermilion lacquer, which is also efficient as protection from corrosion from the sea...


Itsukushima is a Shinto shrine that originally dates back to the 6th century but the present structure dates back to the mid-16th century, and is believed to follow an earlier design from the 12th century - the architectural design was established in 1168, by funds that were provided by a warlord Taira no Kiyomori...


Quite a rush at the shrine...


Performing Temizu before entering the Shinto shrine...


The Itsukushima shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto god of seas and storms, and brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu. As the island was considered as sacred, commoners were not allowed to set foot on it throughout much of its history to maintain its purity. To allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land. The red entrance gate, or the O'torii, was built over the water for pretty much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.


Retaining the purity of the shrine is so important and since 1878, no deaths or births have been permitted near it. To this day, pregnant women are supposed to retreat to the mainland as the day of delivery approaches, as are the terminally ill or the very elderly whose passing has become imminent. Burials on the island are absolutely forbidden.


The shrine was designed and built on piers over the bay so that the shrine would appear to be floating on the water, separate from the sacred island...


A look at the O'torii as we head back...


And we encounter a particularly aggressive deer on the way back...


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