Aki Province Ichinomiya
Itsukushima Jinja
嚴島神社
Itsukushima Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Aki Province, in present-day Hiroshima. It has no car park of its own. Opening hours end at 18:00 (hall entry; 18:30 from January 1 to 3; 17:30 from January 4 to the end of February; 17:30 from October 15 to November 30; 17:00 from December 1 to 31). Without a car, the shrine's own website gives 1 route from a station (on foot); the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on June 17 every year. We found 23 entries for the shrine in Japan’s national database of designated cultural properties, 6 of them National Treasures. The nearest other ichinomiya is Oyamazumi Jinja, 63 km to the east in a straight line.
Getting there
広島県廿日市市宮島町 1-1
This shrine is on an island
It is on Miyajima and can only be reached by boat or plane. Ports, operators and crossing times →
The address is given in Japanese on purpose. Show it to a taxi driver, or copy it into a car navigation system — an English transliteration will not be recognised.
For a car navigation system
- Coordinates
- From OpenStreetMap, as 厳島神社 — the centre of the precinct, not the hall. Not checked on the ground
- Address
How to rent and drive a car in Japan →
By train and bus
- From 宮島桟橋
- On foot.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
宮島口桟橋から フェリーで宮島桟橋へ(約10分) 徒歩 神社入り口
Taken from the shrine's own website (厳島神社 アクセス,問い合わせ, checked 2026-10-08). Station and stop names stay in Japanese so you can match them to signs. Fares and timetables are not given — they change.
Parking
It has no car park of its own.
宮島島内に参拝者用駐車場の公式案内はない。宮島口（本土側）に駐車してフェリーで渡るのが前提。廿日市市は国道2号など主要道路の利用と公共交通機関の利用を案内しており、宮島口桟橋周辺の駐車場は整備工事で容量が減っている
The note above is in Japanese; it usually records dates when the car park is closed, and the fee.
Shrine office hours
Opening hours end at 18:00 (hall entry; 18:30 from January 1 to 3; 17:30 from January 4 to the end of February; 17:30 from October 15 to November 30; 17:00 from December 1 to 31).
The full note from the source, in Japanese:
昇殿（開門〜閉門）1/1 0:00-18:30／1/2-1/3 6:30-18:30／1/4-2月末 6:30-17:30／3/1-10/14 6:30-18:00／10/15-11/30 6:30-17:30／12/1-12/31 6:30-17:00。昇殿料 大人300円・高校生200円・中小学生100円
History in brief
- Founding
- According to the shrine's tradition, Saeki no Kuramoto, who ruled the island, received a divine oracle and built the shrine in 593.
- Buildings
- Taira no Kiyomori, governor of Aki, rebuilt the shrine in 1168 in the shinden-zukuri palace style.
- History
- Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa visited in 1174, and Retired Emperor Takakura in 1180.
Summarised from the shrine's own website (歴史, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Ichikishimahime-no-Mikoto 市杵島姫命 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Tagorihime-no-Mikoto 田心姫命 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Tagitsuhime-no-Mikoto 湍津姫命 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
The shrine's website says its deities appeared when Amaterasu and Susanoo exchanged oaths in the High Plain of Heaven, and have long been revered for the safety of the imperial house, the protection of the nation and safety at sea.
Our English summary of the Japanese description. Spelling as given by the shrine's own website.
Nationally designated cultural properties
- 厳島神社
-
National Treasure
本殿 桁行正面八間、背面九間、梁間四間、一重、両流造、檜皮葺 幣殿 桁行一間、梁間一間、一重、両下造、檜皮葺 拜殿 桁行十間、梁間三間、一重、両端すがる破風付入母屋造、檜皮葺、背面両端庇間付
designated 1952-03-29 · late Muromachi period - 厳島神社
-
Important Cultural Property
桁行八間、梁間四間、一重、右側面切妻造、左側面入母屋造、檜皮葺
designated 1899-04-05 · Momoyama period - 厳島神社大鳥居
-
Important Cultural Property
木造両部鳥居
designated 1899-04-05 · Meiji period - 厳島神社古神宝類
- National Treasure
- 小桜韋黄返威鎧〈兜、大袖付／〉
- National Treasure
- 浅黄綾威鎧〈兜、大袖付／〉
- National Treasure
- 紺絲威鎧〈兜、大袖付／〉
- National Treasure
- 黒韋威胴丸〈兜、大袖付／〉
- National Treasure
- 刀〈無銘伝雲次／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 刀〈銘談議所西蓮／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 大太刀〈銘備後国住人行吉作／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 木地塗螺鈿飾太刀
- Important Cultural Property
- 梅唐草蒔絵文台硯箱〈（伝大内義隆奉納）／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 漆絵大小拵（陣刀）
- Important Cultural Property
- 狂言装束（唐人用）
- Important Cultural Property
- 紺紙金字大方等大集経
- Important Cultural Property
- 紺紙金字華厳経
- Important Cultural Property
- 絹本著色山姥図〈長沢芦雪筆／（絵馬）〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 藍韋肩赤威甲冑〈大内義隆奉納／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 赤糸威胴丸具足〈筋兜・小具足付／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 銀小札白糸威胴丸具足〈兜・大袖・小具足付／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 革包太刀〈中身貞和二年云々トアリ／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 宮島のタノモサン
- Intangible Folk Cultural Property selected for recording (manners and customs)
Source: the national register. All of them together →
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
六月十七日 例祭
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 桃花祭
- 四月十五日
- 桃花祭神能
- 四月十六日～十八日
- 管絃祭
- no date stated
old-calendar date - 玉取祭
- 八月二十四日
- 鎮火祭
- 十二月三十一日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Oyamazumi Jinja, about 63 km to the east in a straight line, the ichinomiya of Iyo Province. After that come Tamanooya Jinja (77 km west) and Kibitsu Jinja (Bingo) (92 km east).
Straight-line distances between the shrines, not road distances. Across mountains or water, the drive is much longer.
Why this shrine is called an ichinomiya
Listed by the pilgrimage association
It appears on the map published by the Ichinomiya Pilgrimage Association. We have not yet checked other primary sources.
- 全国一の宮巡拝会『全国一の宮神社所在地』（平成30年5月・改訂版 第4版） (checked 2026-09-09)
More on how the shrines of this province relate to one another is on the Aki Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Aki Province (San'yōdō)
- Prefecture
- Hiroshima
- Engishiki (927)
- Myōjin Taisha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kanpei Taisha
Sources
- https://www.miyajima.or.jp/timetable/newryoukin.pdf (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.city.hatsukaichi.hiroshima.jp/soshiki/41/98302.html (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.itsukushimajinja.jp/jp/history.html (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.itsukushimajinja.jp/ (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.itsukushimajinja.jp/jp/admission.html (checked 2026-10-29)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.