Why does the torii seem to float?

It stands in the sea at high tide

Why were births and deaths once avoided on the island?

The island was considered sacred

Itsukushima Shrine Quiz: Miyajima's Floating Torii Gate

This Itsukushima Shrine quiz takes the ferry to Miyajima in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on the floating torii gate, its height and camphor wood, the 1875 version standing today, its recent restoration, Taira no Kiyomori's 1168 shrine on piers, the sacred island's old rules, Mount Misen, wild deer, maple cakes and UNESCO status.

Start Itsukushima Shrine Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Island
Which island is Itsukushima Shrine on?
Gate
Why does the torii seem to float?
Height
About how tall is the great torii?
Wood
What wood forms its main pillars?
Year
When was the current torii built?
Builder
Who built the shrine's present layout in 1168?
Piers
What are the shrine buildings built on?
Sacred
Why were births and deaths once avoided on the island?
Deer
Which animals roam freely on Miyajima?
Cake
Which maple-leaf-shaped cake is a Miyajima snack?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which island is Itsukushima Shrine on?
Answer: Miyajima
It lies in Hiroshima Bay.
Q2: Why does the torii seem to float?
Answer: It stands in the sea at high tide
At low tide people can walk to it.
Q3: About how tall is the great torii?
Answer: About 16 meters
It is one of Japan's largest.
Q4: What wood forms its main pillars?
Answer: Camphor
The trunks are natural, not cut boards.
Q5: When was the current torii built?
Answer: 1875
It is the eighth since the 1100s.
Q6: Who built the shrine's present layout in 1168?
Answer: Taira no Kiyomori
He was a powerful warlord.
Q7: What are the shrine buildings built on?
Answer: Piers over the water
Corridors connect them.
Q8: Why were births and deaths once avoided on the island?
Answer: The island was considered sacred
Purity rules were strict.
Q9: Which animals roam freely on Miyajima?
Answer: Deer
Some snatch maps from visitors.
Q10: Which maple-leaf-shaped cake is a Miyajima snack?
Answer: Momiji manju
It is often filled with red bean.

The Floating Torii of a Sacred Island

Itsukushima Shrine stands on Miyajima, an island in Hiroshima Bay. The warlord Taira no Kiyomori built its present layout in 1168, placing halls and corridors on piers over the water so the shrine seems to float at high tide. The island was considered so sacred that births and deaths were once avoided there.

The great torii gate stands in the sea about 16 meters tall. Its main pillars are natural camphor trunks, and it is held up by its own weight rather than buried deep. The current torii, built in 1875, is the eighth since the 1100s, and it reopened after a major restoration in 2022.

At low tide visitors walk out to the gate. Deer roam freely, Mount Misen offers hiking and ropeway views, and momiji manju, maple-leaf-shaped cakes, are a favorite snack. The shrine became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and is counted among the Three Views of Japan.

What This Quiz Teaches

Japan fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the shrine is
Why the gate seems to float
Who built the shrine
How the torii is made
What else the island offers

Did You Know?

The torii glows when lit at night.
Boats sail through the torii at high tide.
Oysters from Hiroshima Bay are a local specialty.
A five-story pagoda stands near the shrine.
Visitors pay a small tax to enter the island.