The United States has 25 World Cultural Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO. The city of Kyoto, Japan has nearly as many. We will visit some. Today, we are going to one just outside Hiroshima, Japan.
A ferry boat ride from downtown Hiroshima takes you across the bay to the island of Miyahima. One of the first sites after walking into the island is the Ohtorri Gate, also known as the floating gate. A Shinto shrine sits on the edge of the bay looking out to the gate which at high tide seems to float on the water.
O’Torri
As you get closer to the shrine, more objects like lanterns envelop you.
Above you is the Gojunoto, or Five-Storied Pagoda.
The forest with blossoming trees beckon you to climb the holy mountain like Kobo Daishi did in 806 CE.
The forest itself is part of the World Cultural Heritage Site. Most of it has never been disturbed. A peaceful path dotted with shrines leads you up the mountain.
You often cross small streams.
Eventually, your pilgrimage takes you to the Miyajima Ropeway; two aerial rope systems that lift you to the top of Mt. Misen. We started in fog and rose into the clouds. At the top, we could look back toward Hiroshima.
Kobo Daishi founded the Buddhist Shingon Sect in the eighth century. Returning to Kyoto, he stopped on Miyajima to climb Mt. Misen. There he performed Gumonji, a 100 day meditative practice before a fire.
The fire has burned for over 1,200 protected under a shrine. Prayer candles are lit from the flame. The flame was taken into to Hiroshima to light the Flame of Peace in the Peace Memorial Park, another World Heritage Site.
The mountain is filled with buildings connected to the Shinto-Buddhist syncretic religion, including the only hall dedicated to demon gods.
The fog did not clear during our stay on the mountain, and we needed to return to the ferry before the tide got too low to return to Hiroshima, and Ground Zero.
