is the holy mountain on the holy island Itsukushima

Itsukushima

is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , the Shrine Island. The island is one of . Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture...

 in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima

Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima

is a city of some 120,000 people located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with hatsuka meaning "20th day" and ichi translating to "market"...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

; it is situated within the World Heritage

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 area of Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan...

.

The sea around the island (Seto Inland Sea) and all of the island are within Setonaikai National Park

Setonaikai National Park

is a national park that covers the entire expanse of Japan's Inland Sea. It was designated a national park in 1934. It contains about 3,000 islands. The well-known Itsukushima Island lies within the park.-External links:...

.

The foothills of the north side of the mountain are covered by primeval forest and have many buildings and gates, including the temple of Daishō-in

Daisho-in (Miyajima)

is a historic Japanese temple on Mt.Misen, the holy mountain in the island of Itsukushima in Miyajima-chō in the city of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan. It is the 14th of Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage and famous for autumn leaves and maples. It has another temple name called...

. Behind Itsukushima Shrine is .

Mount Misen was visited by Kūkai

Kukai

Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....

 in the year 806

806

Year 806 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Emperor Heizei succeeds Emperor Kammu as Emperor of Japan....

, the 1st year of the Daidō era

Daido

was a after Enryaku and before Kōnin. This period spanned the years from May 806 through September 810. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* November 16, 806 : The new era name 'was created to mark an event or series of events...

. Since ancient times, the mountain has been an important destination for religious visitors.

External links

• Setonaikai National Park(in Japanese)
• Miyajima Ropeway(in Japanese)