Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine (Japanese: 厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" torii gate. It is in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures.

History

Itsukushima jinja was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Aki Province.

The shrine has been destroyed several times, but the first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the mid-16th century, and is believed to follow an earlier design from the 12th century. That design was established in 1168, when funds were provided by the warlord Taira no Kiyomori.

The shrine was "devoted to the worship of goddesses to whom Kiyomori owed thanks, he felt, for his success in life." Originally it was a pure Shinto shrine "where no births or deaths were allowed to cause pollution. Its treasures include the celebrated Heike Nōkyō, or 'Sutras dedicated by the Taira House of Taira'. These consist of thirty-two scrolls, on which the Lotus and other sutras have been copied by Kiyomori, his sons, and other members of the family, each completing the writing of one scroll. Kiyomori lavished great wealth upon Itsukushima, and he liked to show the place to his friends and colleagues, or even to royal personages..."

Itsukushima

Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means the Shrine Island. The island is one of Hayashi Razan's Three Views of Japan. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was the town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.

Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine.

Itsukushima has a number of temples, including Toyokuni Shrine with five-storied pagoda, and Daiganji Temple - one of three most famous Benzaiten temples of Japan. The island is also famous for its upper hill side cherry blossoms and maple leaf autumn foliage.

Miyajima, Hiroshima

Miyajima (宮島町, Miyajima-chō) was a town located on the island of Itsukushima in Saeki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 2,018 and a density of 66.40 persons per km². The total area was 30.39 km².

On November 3, 2005, Miyajima, along with the town of Ōno (also from Saeki District), was merged into the expanded city of Hatsukaichi.

Merger with Hatsukaichi

In August 2004, both Hatsukaichi and the city of Hiroshima expressed an interest in annexing the town. The people in Miyajima supported Hatsukaichi. A committee for discussing the merger was created as soon as possible and the town was amalgamated with the city of Hatsukaichi on November 3, 2005.

World Heritage Site

A World Heritage Site is a place (such as a building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, or mountain) that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of special cultural or physical significance.The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General Assembly.

The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The program was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 191 states parties have ratified the Convention, making it one of the most adhered to international instruments. Only Liechtenstein, Nauru, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, and Tuvalu are not Parties to the Convention.

Samurai Warriors 4

Samurai Warriors 4, known in Japan as Sengoku Musou 4 (戦国無双4, Sengoku Musō Fō), is a hack and slash game by Tecmo Koei, and sequel to Samurai Warriors 3.

Development

The game was made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series. While the game was confirmed to be in development for the PlayStation 3 as early as 2012, it was not until the SCEJA Press Conference in September 2013 that the game was officially announced, with a version for PlayStation Vita in addition to PlayStation 3, and was released on March 20, 2014 in Japan, while a PlayStation 4 port followed on September 4, 2014. It was also released in North America on October 21, 2014 and Europe on October 24, 2014.

A revised version, Samurai Warriors 4-II (戦国無双4-II, Sengoku Musō Fō Tsu) was released on February 11, 2015 in Japan and was released in North America on September 29, 2015, and in Europe on October 2, 2015, but it does not contain the original stories from Samurai Warriors 4. A second expansion, Samurai Warriors 4: Empires (戦国無双4 Empires, Sengoku Musō Fō Emupaiyāzu) was released in Japan on September 17, 2015 and it will be released in North America and Europe in 2016.