Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine stands on the sacred island of Miyajima in the Seto Inland Sea, a holy place of Shinto since the earliest times where the whole island itself has long been revered as divine. First established perhaps in the 6th century and rebuilt in its present form in the 12th under the patronage of the powerful Taira clan, the shrine's halls and boardwalks are built out over the tidal flats on stilts, so that at high tide the vermilion complex and its great offshore torii gate appear to float upon the sea. The harmonious arrangement of buildings reveals exceptional artistic and technical skill and expresses the Japanese ideal of scenic beauty, in which nature and human creativity are held in balance against a backdrop of forested mountains. The floating torii is among the most iconic images of Japan. Itsukushima Shrine was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.