ITSUKU ISLAND

also called Miya Island, English Shrine Island offshore island, Hiroshima ken (prefecture), Japan, in the Inland Sea. The small island, one of Japan's most scenic spots, is 19 miles (31 km) in circumference and occupies an area of 12 square miles (31 square km). It is best known for its 6th-century Itsuku island-shrine, which was built on tidal land and has the appearance of floating on the sea during high tide. It was named after one of the daughters of Susanowo, the Shinto storm god. Other religious buildings include the 9th-century temple that crowns Mount Mi, which rises to the island's highest elevation, 1,739 feet (530 m). Because of its religious significance, births and burials were long prohibited on Itsuku Island. This ban was lifted after the Meiji Restoration (1868), but the dead are still transported to Ono, on Honshu, for burial. The town of Miyajima on the island is a popular summer resort, with beaches, cherry trees, and tame deer.