“Please don’t move from one side of the boat to the other,” the captain warns. “This might be dangerous and can lead to capsizing!”. The boat is turning slowly, and on the left side the bright orange torii, the wooden gate of the Itsukushima Shrine, becomes visible. Conveniently, the Miyajima floating Torii is lit up at night. It is now glittering magnificently over the water. People with huge cameras storm the windows on the left side of the boat. Then, we turn about and head directly towards the torii.
Miyajima Holy island, no walk!
Most of the passengers are Japanese tourists. We try to follow the lengthy commentary about the history of the island and shrine, and the legends of goddesses visible in the shape of the mountains. Afterwards, for the handful of Western tourists who don’t understand this sermon, the captain has prepared a picture of the Australian Uluru. “Holy mountain”, he says, “all holy, no walk! Miyajima holy island, no walk!”
The island of Miyajima itself was so holy that for many centuries only Shinto priests could set foot on it. Only from the 12th century onwards were select pilgrims able to visit the shrine there. And it was until the 19th century that there were severe restrictions regarding taboo and unclean activities (such as death, birth and hunting). Even now, Miyajima does not have a cemetery although a considerable village has sprung up to cater for tourists and pilgrims.
The ferries bringing visitors from the mainland today arrive well to the left of the shrine. In former times, however, pilgrims would come by boat and pass through the gate officially demarcating the holy area. This so-called Miyajima floating Torii is a proper shrine gate marking an entrance to the holy area. The nickname means that the gate was cleverly set up in the water. Therefore, it was possible to enter the holy area without actually stepping on the – forbidden – island.
The 8th gate of Itsukushima Shrine
Our boat is now moving through the narrow orange gate, just as the pilgrims used to do. The photographers jump from one side to the other, busily trying to get a sufficiently impressive, and not too blurred, shot of the torii. Meanwhile the captain hands us a block of very heavy and hard wood. To withstand the seawater, he explains, the torii is built from camphor wood. Nevertheless, it is already the 8th gate guarding the shrine! The first known gate was erected in the 12th century.
We have now passed the gate and are on the gentle waves in the Bay of Itsukushima. This would be the appropriate time for a prayer.
Passing through the Miyajima Floating Torii
After hovering in front of the shrine for a moment, the boat heads back. Again, we pass through the gate and continue to the jetty. And although we can now step on the holy island itself, the pilgrim’s passage through the torii stays with us for a while. It seemed a heavier spiritual experience than just walking the planks of the shrine the next day.
For more about the shrine of Itsukushima and other things to do nearby, see our travel blog post on the holy Island of Miyajima.
How to get to Miyajima
From Hiroshima city, use the tramway (1 hour) or local train (30 minutes) to Miyajimaguchi. From there it is 10 minutes on one of two frequent ferries.
Boat Pilgrimage: The Miyajima Sanpai Yuran passes through the Miyajima floating torii. It departs 6 times daily in the evening from No 3 pier, Miyajima. 30 minutes, 1600 Yen.
NB: We had no sponsoring for this post about the Miyajima Floating Torii. Like most visits to the holy island, the pilgrimage was part of our tourguiding work.
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