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Itsukushima island (popularly known as Miyajima ("Shrine Island") - Divine Horse House. Horses are thought to be intermediaries between this world and that of the kami. Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or ‘holy powers’ that are venerated in the Shinto religion; they can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the spirits of venerated dead people.

Itsukushima jinja was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Aki Province. It is said to have been erected in 593 supposedly by Saeki Kuramoto during the reign of Empress Suiko (592–628 CE). However, the present shrine has been popularly attributed to Taira no Kiyomori, a prominent noble of the Imperial Court and later Chancellor (Daijō-daijin), who contributed heavily to the construction of the shrine during his time as governor of Aki Province in 1168. Another renowned patron of the shrine was Mori Motonari, lord of Chōshū Domain, who was responsible for rebuilding the honden in 1571. The only surviving structure in Itsukushima shrine from the Kamakura period is the Kyakuden or "Guest-God's Shrine".

The Itsukushima shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto: Ichikishimahime no mikoto, Tagorihime no mikoto, and Tagitsuhime no mikoto. Otherwise known as the sanjoshin or "three female deities", these Shinto deities are the goddesses of seas and storms. Kiyomori believed the goddesses to be "manifestations of Kannon," therefore the island was understood as the home of the bodhisattva. In Japanese, the word Itsukushima translates to "island dedicated to the gods." The island itself is also considered to be a god, which is why the shrine was built on the outskirts of the island. Adding to its sanctity, Mount Misen is the tallest peak at about 1,755 feet. Tourists can either hike or take a ropeway to the top.

Originally Itsukushima was a pure Shinto shrine "where no births or deaths were allowed to cause pollution. Because the island itself has been considered sacred, commoners were not allowed to set foot on it throughout much of its history to maintain its purity. Retaining the purity of the shrine is so important that since 1878, no deaths or births have been permitted near it. To this day, pregnant women are supposed to retreat to the mainland as the day of delivery approaches, as are the terminally ill or the very elderly whose passing has become imminent. Burials on the island are forbidden. To allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land. The red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.

Divinity Alyea Isaacs--2-10- 07 by James Isaacs