The two stages in front of the main building of the Itsukushima Shrine, Taka-butai “High stage” (the raised area on the right of the photo) and Hira-butai “Open stage (the rest of the flooring in the photo) are designated both as Annex to a National Treasure.

Used for Bugaku, an ancient court dance, they were not part of the original construction, but were added at the end of the Sengoku period, donated by Mori Motonari, the lord of the Aki domain, which was the western part of today’s Hiroshima Prefecture.

Taka-Butai (High Stage), Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Koma-inu head-shaped Shinto shrine in Namba