It is easy to bypass Senjokaku. First, one must climb up a flight or so of stairs.
At the top of the stairs is a bright red and white five Storied Pagoda.
Next to the tall, brilliant, attractive pagoda stands a large, open, unassuming structure.
This is Senjokaku. The name means 1000 tatami mats, though it is only 857 tatami mats large. Construction began in 1587 at the behest of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Construction halted 11 years later when he passed away and it remains unfinished.
What is there is a large, open building that is a perfect respite from the blazing sun and heat of the island. The hall is decorated with votive picture tablets that had been hanging in nearby Itsukushima Shrine until the mid-Meiji era.
For a small fee, one can enter the shrine and just sit. It's an ideal place to meditate, write, or read. There always seems to be a breeze blowing. And the views alone are worth it.
Despite its unfinished state, it is still a shrine, Senjokaku enshrines Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Kiyomasa Kato.
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