All buildings in Itsukushima Shrine are on the water of Mikasa-ga-hama cove, and they are connected to the land by
two long corridors. They are called the East corridor and the West corridor. These corridors were designated as
Japanese national treasures in 1952.

The East corridor extends from the entrance of Itsukushima Shrine to the purification hall of the Main Shrine.
It is about 113 meters long (47 bays) and 4 meters wide.

Each bay has eight pieces of floorboard and the current floorboards were laid at the end of the Meiji era.
(1868~1906)

If you look closely, you can see the real floorboards under the protection boards.

Each floorboard of the corridor has slight spaces. They decrease the buoyancy of Itsukushima Shrine during the
high tide and drain rain from the corridor.

The corridor was designed with enough height so as to never soak the floorboards even when the spring tide
comes, but sometimes now a days, it’s covered by sea water during very high tides, because of global warming.

The hanging lanterns along the corridors were dedicated by Mori Terumoto in 1598. (He built Hiroshima-jyo castle
and he was a grandchild of Mori Motonari who reconstructed Itsukushima Shrine in the current style)
Mori Terumoto donated hanging lanterns that were made by casting iron, and you can see them in the Treasure hall.
The current lanterns are made of bronze, and they were made in the Taisyo era. (1913~1921)

The West corridor extends from the purification hall of the Main Shrine to the exit. The West corridor is about 146
meters long and 4 meters in wide.

Marodo Shrine are usually dedicated to the Main deity’s relatives. Itsukushima Shrine’s Marodo Shrine enshrines the Main deity’s five brothers. It’s said that they control, agriculture, the sun, the rain, the wind, andprevent the fire disasters.

It’s one of the important shrines, and all Shinto rituals in Itsukushima Shrine are going to start here.

The inner most part is the Honden enshrins three main Goddesses.
They preside over safe navigation, fortune, and entertainment.

The middle part is the Heiden, a place where Shinto priest’s conduct Shinto rituals, and to mediate between
Goddesses and prayers.

The outer most part is the Haiden, a place of prayer for everyone.
When people pray and ask something of the Goddesses, they sit here, pray with Shinto priests, and then receive
a purification.　　　

An ordinaly parson can never get into the Honden and the Heiden.

If you are lucky, you can see a wedding ceremony, held at the Main Shrine.
It’s amazing and impressive. I’ll never forget when my daughter had her wedding ceremony there 10 years ago.

You can see a slight raised small open-air stage in front of the Main Shrine.

It’s the Takabutai-stage, and one of the national treasures, designated in 1952.

It’s thought to have been constructed as a permanent stage in the warring period.(1467~1568)

It’s a place for performing Bugaku, a Shinto ritual on a fine day. (On a rainy day, it’s performed at the Purification
hall, located between the Main Hall and the Takabutai stage)

Itsukushima Shrine holds Bugaku eleven times a year as a Shinto ritual on the Takabutai.

Also if you make a reservation, you can enjoy it, but it costs 100,000 yen (about 1,000$) as a viewing fee.

Bugaku is performed with Gagaku, a Japanese traditional orchestra, consisting of pipes, strings, gongs, and drams.
(They aren’t like current musical instruments)

Members of the orchestra play their instruments at both sides of the Gakubo (orchestra pits) .

The Gakubo’s next to the Takabutai, towards the ocean side of the platform.

As I said, Bugaku is a kind of traditional Japanese dance, performed with a traditional Japanese orchestra, called
Gagaku.  Bugaku was introduced to Japan from India via China and Korea before the Heian era, and spread as
one of the jewels Heian era.

It has been kept alive in Japan as an intangible asset, but it has disappeared in China and Korea.

In Bugaku there are two types of dances called Sa-no-mai(right dance), and U-no-mai(left dance). Sa-no-mai was introduced via China, and it is based on Chines historical stories. U-no-mai came over via Korea, and of course it is based on Korean historical stories.

Sa-no-mai is performed with Sa-Gakubo(left side orchestra pit), and performers put on red costumes. U-no-mai is danced with U-Gakubo(right side orchestra pit), and dancers put on green costumes.

About twenty programs have been kept alive at Itsukushima Shrine. Every Shinto Shrine ritual has specific dances
that accompany it.

Before the mid-Kamakura era (1207~1325), no one was allowed to live on Miyajima island, because ancient people
thought Miyajima island was itself three godesses.

When people wanted to go and worship at Itsukushima Shrine, they had to row a small boat between the Main
Island and Miyajima Island, even the priests.

There was no pier on Miyajima Island at the time, so Taira-no-Kiyomori constructed a small pier next to the
platform.

You can see a projection on the part of Itsukushima Shrine closest to the Otorii.

It is the remains of the old pier, called the Hitasaki.

Both sides of the connection between the platform and the Hitasaki, there are small shrines.

These are guardian deities of Itsukushima Shrine next to the Gakubo, called the left Kado-marodo Shrine and the
right Kado-marodo Shrine.

The Kangen festival is held on the 18^th of June of the lunar calendar.

This festival is one of the Itsukushima Shrine’s Shinto rituals to comfort goddesses.

It does so by boating with Kangen between Itsukushima Shrine and an outer subordinate shrine the Jigozen Shrine
while the Kangen orchestra performs on the boat.

When the Kangen festival starts, a portable shrine is brought from the Hitasaki to a boat waiting for it under the
Otorii.

In my opinion, the Tenjin Shrine and the Daikoku Shrine (next to the Tenjin Shrine) are not related (or connected) to
Itsukushima Shrine’s main deity, so they aren’t painted with the same vermilion lacquer.

Sugawara-no-Michizane was one of the Heian nobles, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, also known as an excellent poet,
particularly in Chinese poetry.So he is revered as the deity of education and intelligence and learning today.

He was a very capable politician, but someone deceive the Emperor about him, and as a result, he was exiled to
Dazaifu in Fukuoka prefecture as a chief of the local government.

He died in great mental anguish in exile in 903.
After he died, unusual things started happening to nobles who were connected to his exile.Things like dying from
mysterious illness or being struck by lightning in Kyoto.

People believed it was a curse from Sugawara-no-Michizane.
So the central government rescinded his banishment and enshrined him as a Tenjin in Kyoto and Dazaifu.

The Tenjin Shrine spread throughout Japan as the shrine of learning, and it has become one of the most famous
shrine now a days.
This Tenjin Shrine at Miyajima, I think one of these shrines.

You can see a lot of small hanging Emas in front of the Tenjin Shrine.
In ancient times, when people asked something important of a deity, they offered a horse to the shrine.
It became simplifed later, and paintings of a horse were offered instead.
They simplified more and more; various paintings are dedicated now a days.

During the entrance examination season, a lot of students pray at Tenjin Shrines to ask for success in the entrance
exam.

You can buy a small Ema board at the shrine office.
Why don’t you try to write your wish on an Ema board to ask it of Sugawara-no-Michizane.

Walking along the West Corridor, you can see a really simple, natural colored building, this is the Noh Stage, where
Noh traditional Japanese dances are performed.

The first Noh Stage was donated by the feudal lord Fukushima Masanori in 1605.
The current Noh Stage with a bridge-like passage way and dressing room was built the feudal lord Asano Tsunanaga in 1680.
There are about 70 major Noh Stages in Japan, but a permanent stage on the water is only found in (at) Itsukushima

Noh is a traditional Japanese musical dance, and it was designated a world intangible culture heritage in 1982.
Noh was created during the late Kamakura era and the early Muromachi era (late 12th ~ early 13th century), based on various public performing arts.
It was also influenced by Bugaku.

They perform supernatural stories accompanied flutes, drums, hand drums, and chants, while wearing Noh costumes and masks.

The performer’s movement is really slow and they express emotions through their gliding steps and slight movements with their masks.

Now a days “the Sacred Noh” is performed on this stage during “the Peach Blossom Festival” in the Spring every year as a Shinto ritual. (from 16th to 18th march)

You can find a strange shaped wooden bridge at the first corner of the west corridor. It is called Sori-bashi which
means an arched bridge, and it is also called Chokushi-bashi. It goes between the corridor and the back side of
Itsukushima Shrine. it was designated as a Important National Asset in 1947.

Its age is unknown, but it is thought to have been constructed roughly around the middle of the 13^th century, as
various documents indicate.

This bridge has never been opened to the public, and it is said that only Chokushi, Imperial Messengers, could
cross it to enter the Main Shrine during important festivals like Gochinza-sai.

According to inscriptions, when Chokushi crossed the bridge, temporary stairs were placed on it to allow him easy
passage.

The bridge has been repaired several times, and most recently was restored in 2014~2015.