Miyajima—The Holy Land

In the clouded mists of antiquity a Shinto priest had a vision one night in which a deity told him that in the morning a messenger would show him a holy site. The next day he saw a crow calling to him, and he knew he should follow. The crow led him to an island of incomparable beauty, and immediately the priest knew this place should become a special sanctuary for worship of the gods of nature.

In the Shinto tradition there are three places in Japan that are noted to be the most beautiful spots in the country. At those locations heaven comes close to earth, revealing itself in magnificent natural splendor. Miyajima Island is one of those three places. The name means something like “holy land.”

All of the wildlife here is considered sacred, and must not be bothered. White deer casually roam, eating tourists’ paper tickets and brochures and an occasional piece of clothing. The sanctuary hosts a dance troupe that performs here, not to entertain a human audience, but rather to entertain the 8 million Shinto deities.

The mixture of pine trees, ocean and mountains here truly is magnificent. The shrine hosts my favorite torii gate in all of Japan. The gate is about 16 meters tall; the circumference of each main pillar is about 10 meters, making this one of the largest torii gates in Japan. It weighs about 60 tons. The roof is made thatched Japanese camphor trees, and the pillars are made of cedar. Because it is made of wood, it tends to float, but it is filled with fist-size stones that anchor it to the ocean floor. This present torii gate was first built in 1875, and is the ninth such gate on the site since the Heian Period around 800 A. D.

Today’s rain abated enough for us to enjoy this lovely site for the second time. Its silent monuments placed amid the venerable Japanese pine trees make this place a distillation of all that is beautiful in Japan.Read more