Overview
Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form in 1168, and the corridors are laid with gaps between the boards so that a rising tide passes through instead of lifting them. The torii stands on its own weight — no footings — held by the mass of its pillars and stones packed into the crossbeam. Until recently commoners could not set foot on Miyajima at all and approached by boat through the torii; burials on the island are still not permitted.
Highlights
Check the tide tables before choosing your hour: high water floats the shrine, low water lets you walk out to the torii, and both are worth seeing but they are different visits. Stay overnight if you can — the day trippers leave on the last ferries and the island empties. The ropeway up Mount Misen gives the Inland Sea, and the walk down through the primeval forest takes about ninety minutes.