Itsukushima Shrine at the New Year holiday





The O-torii  Gate at 9:30 a.m on the 4th of January 2014

 The O-torii Gate in the morning sunshine seems welcoming the guests from all over the world.

朝日に輝く大鳥居は、世界中からやってこられるお客様を歓迎しているようです。



Otorii gate and Itsukushima  Shrine on the sea

 When it is high tide, you can see the more beautiful O-torii Gate and Itsukushima shrine palaces like the picture above. They are reflected on the surface of the sea.
満潮時には、鳥居や神社がこの写真にあるように、美しく海の水に映えています。



"Hatsumoude visitors are relaxing
around the shrine hall.

 Every year, during the New Year holidays, which are called "Shogatsu Yasumi" in Japanese, many people come to Miyajima island for not only sightseeing but for "Hatsumoude" which is the first visit of the New Year to a shrine or temple. Most of the visitors mainly go to Itsukusima shrine or Daishoin temple. 



Three maidens in the service of the shrine are mediating "Hamaya" and "Omikuji".

They throw some coins into a "Saisenbako" (donation box) in front of the shrine or temple halls. And they pray and make a wish for good health, the happiness of family or the success of the business, etc. in this year. 
After then, some of them buy a "Hamaya" or try this year's fortune by drawing fortune slip "Omikuji".  "Hamaya" is an arrow with white feathers, which is believed to protect the owner from evil spirits. "Omikuji" is a thin strip paper which tells the owner's fortune of the future.

毎年、正月に休みには、多くの人々がこの島を訪れ、観光だけでなく、初詣にやってきます。初詣の人々は主に厳島神社や大聖院を訪れます。神社やお寺の賽銭箱に、小銭を投げ入れて、その年の健康や家族の幸せ、ビジネスの成功などを祈ったり、新年の誓いをします。祈りがすんだら、破魔矢やおみくじを買って、魔よけを祈願し、その年の運勢を占います。

About the Shrine




One of the shrine's corridor    Five-storied Pagoda and Senjoukaku behind the corridor

MaroudoDen Palace near the entrance of the shrine

Itsukushima shrine is built in the sea. When it is high tide, the surface of the sea comes up just near under the floor board. The shrine buildings consist of many "Shindens"(left)buildings standing in the sea and these "Shindens" are connected by the corridors.



厳島神社は海の中に建立されました。満潮のときには、海の表面が床板の高さの近くまで上がってきます。神社は海の中の多くの寝殿で構成され、しかも、これらの寝殿はこの回廊でつながっています。

the Corridor of near the exit of the shrine

These beautiful "shindens" buildings and corridors in the sea were designed and built around near the end of "Heian" era (1166) by the order of "Taira-no-Kiyomori" who was the "Taira" Clan's top. "Taira-no-Kiyomori" had  got the top of  the aristocratic society which had ruled whole country at that time. He worshipped this shrine so much、then he offered to construct these buildings in thanks for great successes. The idea of the shrine which is built in the sea、came from "Kiyomori"'s religious concept.

これらの海の中にある美しい神殿や回廊は、平安時代の末期の仁安元年(1166)頃までに、平家の頭首である平清盛が命じて、デザインさせ、建てさせたものです。彼は、その当時の日本を統治していた貴族社会の権力を握り一度は支配しました。
彼は、この神社を大変崇拝し、これらの建物を彼の成功の感謝の証として建立しました。
その神社を海の中に建てるという発想は清盛の神道や仏教の宗教感から来たものだと、云われています。