まゆの部屋

Famous Hiroshima shrine may stand in artificial bay
The Yomiuri Shimbun



This photo taken in December shows Itsukushima Shrine, which may have been built in an artificial bay created by Taira no Kiyomori.The distinctive Itsukushima Shrine, which stands in the sea off the shore of Miyajima island in Hiroshima Prefecture, may have been built in an artificial bay created by Taira no Kiyomori, a warlord of the late Heian period (794-1192).

The theory was announced Monday by Prof. Masayuki Miura of Hiroshima University's graduate school at a press conference at the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, with which he jointly conducted the research. Miura claims Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181) wanted to demonstrate his authority by realizing his idea of likening the sea to a lotus pond in the shinden-zukuri architectural style, an idea that nobody else had come up with.

Itsukushima Shrine is one of the country's "Three Scenic Spots," as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Miura has based his theory on two key points. First, following the ice age, the construction site should have been buried under sand and rocks caused by frequent landslides. However, it is now in the sea.

Secondly, on the seabed there are traces of rivers running along the sides of the shrine's main building. The rivers are believed to have existed before the bay was created.

According to archives, the rivers have been responsible for large-scale landslides every 200 years. In the previous three such incidents, in 1541, 1736 and 1945, rocks and sand ended up in the shrine's grounds, and were used to reclaim another beach and raise ground level by more than two meters.

Miura said if the site around the shrine was excavated, soil that had been dug up to construct the shrine would be found.

Itsukushima Shrine was completed in 1168, one year after Taira no Kiyomori became grand minister of state. It was destroyed by fire twice in the past. The size and structure of the fourth main building are the same as those of the original.

(Mar. 15, 2006)