Story
The story of Itsukushima Shrine
Why build a shrine over the sea? The island itself has long been considered a god, so the shrine was placed at its edge and built like a pier over the water, appearing to float, separate from the land. For much of its history, commoners were not allowed to set foot on the island and had to steer their boats through the great torii before approaching the shrine.
The present shrine is popularly attributed to Taira no Kiyomori, who contributed heavily to its construction as governor of Aki Province in 1168. It is said he dreamed of an old monk who promised him dominion over Japan if he built a shrine on this island. The shrine is dedicated to three daughters of Susano-o, goddesses of seas and storms. Purity still matters here: since 1878 no deaths or births have been permitted near the shrine, and burials on the island are forbidden.
The whole complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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