Visiting Miyajima, the hall of one thousand tatami, Senjokaku

The Itsukushima Shrine complex is truly impressive, with its large spaces and wonderfully crafted wooden structures. However, the most impressive wooden construction on the Miyajima Island is a bit farther from the shrine...

Erected in 1587 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the building is called Senjokaku, which means "hall of one thousand tatami mats", and as its name suggests, is an extremely large hall. The name comes from the traditional Japanese way to express the surface of a room, in multiples of tatami mats...