The 1555 Battle of Miyajima was the only battle to be fought on the sacred island of Miyajima; the entire island is considered to be a Shinto shrine, and no birth or death is allowed on the island. Extensive purification rituals took place after the battle, to cleanse the shrine and the island of the pollution of death.
View of Miyajima shore, with Itsukushima torii at left, and mainland in the distance (2012).
Scroll depicting the invasion by Mōri forces (ca. 1855)
Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was part of the former town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.
Itsukushima Island
This torii at the Itsukushima Shrine welcomes visitors to the island.
Overview of Miyajima/Itsukushima island in the Inland Sea from the east direction, Japan
View of Feryy, Mount Misen and torii of Itsukushima Shrine from on the sea.