English: Another overview of the Itsukushima shrine grounds looking outto sea towards the torii gate. Detailed notes about the torii gate and the main Itsukushima shrine itself appeared earlier in this album. (see previous pictures). More about the temple itself: Itsukushima was originally a pure Shinto shrine where supposedly no births or deaths were allowed to cause pollution. Because the island itself has been considered sacred, commoners were not allowed to set foot on it throughout much of its history, so as to maintain its purity. Retaining the purity of the shrine was so important that since 1878, no deaths or births have been permitted near it. (wonder how?) To this day, pregnant women are supposed to retreat to the mainland as the day of delivery approaches, as are the terminally ill or the very elderly whose passing has become imminent. Burials on the island are forbidden.To allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land. The red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine. (Hiroshima,Japan, Apr/ May 2019)