Daishō-in Audio Guide

Daishō Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Daishō Temple

   Welcome to Daishō Temple, a Buddhist temple complex on the island of Itsukushima, better known as Miyajima. The island lies off the coast of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima Prefecture. The temple's address is in Takimachi, and it spreads across the lower slopes of Mount Misen, the holy mountain that rises behind the island's famous shrine. Its name, written 大聖院 in Japanese, means Great Holy Temple. It also goes by another, more poetic name, Suishō-ji, which means Crystal Temple. Most visitors come to Miyajima for the floating torii gate, but this temple is one of the island's other great sacred places. It belongs to the Omuro branch of Shingon Buddhism. Over the next few stops, we will follow the story of a fire said to have been lit more than a thousand years ago, a long friendship with emperors, and the way this temple fits into an island people have called the Island of the Gods.

2. 02

   Daishō Temple and the Fire of Kūkai

   Let's begin with the legend, because at Daishō Temple legend and daily practice are tightly woven together. Tradition holds that the temple was founded in the year 806 by Kūkai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, who lived from 774 to 835. He is said to have climbed Mount Misen and performed a range of austerities and rituals there. The most famous of these is the goma, a fire ritual in which offerings are burned as a form of prayer. It lies at the heart of Shingon practice. Legend adds a striking detail: the embers Kūkai kindled on the mountain have never gone out, and still burn today. That is why the temple is linked with the idea of an eternal flame. Notice how the story works. The founding date and the flame are traditions handed down through centuries, not documents you can hold in your hand. Yet they explain why fire, rather than stone or statue, is the symbol most closely tied to this temple.

3. 03

   Emperors, Princes and Warlords at Daishō Temple

   The documented story begins in the twelfth century. Records from that era describe a grand temple on or near Miyajima, and its main hall is said to have been built on the order of Emperor Toba, who lived from 1103 to 1156. Toba is known to have visited the island and prayed for peace and well-being across his realm. That visit began a special bond between the temple and the imperial court that lasted for centuries. The link ran through Ninna-ji in Kyoto, the head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism, which had deep imperial connections of its own. In the sixteenth century, Daishō Temple became one of Ninna-ji's principal branch temples. At the height of its influence it had 12 subordinate temples of its own. Power brought patrons. Among the mighty figures who revered the temple was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who lived from 1537 to 1598 and unified Japan under his rule, though he died before his government had fully settled. So the quiet slopes you are standing on once drew the attention of emperors and the most powerful warlord of his age.

4. 04

   Daishō Temple, the Sacred Mountain and the Island of Gods

   To understand Daishō Temple, look up. Mount Misen rises 535 meters above the sea, and the temple sits at its foot. The mountain is the island's holy peak, and many temples and statues are scattered across it. Miyajima has long been called the Island of the Gods, and Buddhist temples stand all across it, not only the shrine at the water's edge. That shrine, Itsukushima Shrine, is a Shinto site on the same island, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Here Shinto and Buddhism share a single sacred landscape, and Daishō Temple is the Buddhist counterpart on the mountain side. Visitors usually reach the island by ferry from Miyajimaguchi Station on the mainland. The sacred fire has a recent chapter too. The Reikadō, the Sacred Fire Hall that houses the flame, was reported destroyed by fire in May 2026, with no injuries. If you visit, keep in mind that this is a living temple, still changing and carrying on its traditions today.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   As you leave Daishō Temple, think about how many layers sit on one hillside: a legendary founder, a flame said to burn on, a court that prayed here, and a warlord who honored it. Each layer is a different way people have understood this mountain. As you look up toward Mount Misen, ask yourself what drew so many people to climb it. And once you are back down at the water, notice how the island's Shinto shrine and its Buddhist temples answer one another across the same landscape. There is plenty more to discover on this mountain, so take your time and let your curiosity lead you uphill.