Views of Miyajima
Thursday, October 6, 2016
After climbing up Mount Misen in the morning and exploring Daisho-in temple in the afternoon, we came to conclusion that lunch is an integral part of the traveler’s routine which shouldn’t be skipped under any circumstances. So we walked down the road leading to the small town on the shore promising many opportunities for replenishing the energy level.
Soon we figured out that timing was pretty bad – it was just past 3 pm, too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so most of the restaurants were closed. A few stores offered Momiji Manju — a special Itsukushima confection, made of castella-like dough and shaped as a maple leaf (momiji), filled with sweet adzuku bean jam. We spent some time staring through one of the shop’s window, observing how a fully automated production line shapes these traditional wagashi treats.
Finally, we found an open restaurant offering late lunch menu and enjoyed a belated mid-day meal. After lunch, we spent some time walking around Miyajima Omotesandō Shōtengai, the Main street of the island, full of small shops. Upon stumbling on a stand offering grilled oysters we decided to give it a try and found the oysters quite palatable. A few stalls down the road we found sweet potato ice cream and thoroughly enjoyed the most unusual desert of the entire trip.
It’s impossible to miss the famous Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate when walking around Miyajima. When looking closely at the gate, it becomes obvious that some repairs are definitely necessary, so we weren’t surprised with the scaffolding around one of the Torii pillars. The view was pleasant, but nowhere near as magical as from the Mount Mysen.
We decided to visit Hokoku, a prominent shrine located on a hill next to the gate. It’s commonly known as Senjokaku, or pavilion of 1,000 mats. The name describes the spaciousness of the building, as Senjokaku’s inner area is about one thousand tatami mats, the typical room measure in Japan. The hall, which dates back to 1587, was the most impressive religious building we visited in Japan — ancient, tremendous, intriguing and incredible at the same time. Open to all winds, it hosts numerous ancient paintings attached to the ceiling. It’s hard to tell how much time we spent in the hall. I remember it was hard to force ourselves to leave that magnificent place.
We took some time to walk around the small town, and soon enough we figured out that we walked through every little street. As in many Japanese towns, the overwhelming number of small details is the thing that immediately strikes. You find yourself willing to walk slower, stop more often, observe and take notes — right until the moment you understand that the stream of rich visual information is overflowing your ability to absorb it.
However, the true gem of the Miyajima is the Itsukushima Shrine, which is said to be first erected in year 593. The present shrine complex dates back to year 1168 and attributed to Tairo no Kyiomori, the head of the House of Taira.
A legend has it that Kyiomori rebuilt the shrine on account of a dream he had of an old monk who promised him dominion over Japan if he constructed a shrine on the island of Miyajima. The dream was not prophetic – the Genpei War (1180–1185) between houses of Taira and Minamoto resulted in downfall of the House of Taira.
Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to the sanjoshin or “three female deities”, the goddesses of sea and storm. The shrine and its famous torii gate are unique for being built over water, seemingly floating in the sea during high tide. The shrine complex consists of multiple buildings, including a prayer hall, a main hall and a noh theater stage, which are connected by boardwalks and supported by pillars above the sea.
The shrine complex is very well maintained, everything looks freshly renovated and, perhaps, too artificial to belong to the ancient history of the island. Even though the Itsukushima Shrine is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I would call it the least historic location on the island. Probably, it feels that way because of many tourists rushing to the floating torii gate during the low tide.
We walked around the island for another hour or so, enjoying the beautiful sunset over the hills of the mainland. In the dusk, Miyajima streets looked enigmatic but not so welcoming.
When we boarded the ferry back to Miyajimaguchi, we were surprised by crowds of young men and women flocking to the island after dusk. There must be a good reason for that but we haven’t had time to stay longer to learn more — next morning we had to return to Tokyo.
