What to know
Senjokaku (千畳閣, Senjōkaku, meaning "pavilion of 1000 mats") is the common name for Hokoku Shrine. The name reflects the building's vast size, roughly equivalent to one thousand tatami mats. Constructed in 1587, the hall sits on a small hill right next to Itsukushima Shrine.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan's three great unifiers, commissioned Senjokaku for chanting Buddhist sutras for fallen soldiers. The building remained unfinished when Hideyoshi died in 1598. Since Tokugawa Ieyasu then took power instead of the Toyotomi heirs, the hall was never completed.
Senjokaku is strikingly bare, lacking proper ceilings and a front entrance. In 1872, the incomplete building was dedicated to the soul of its founder, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and it still serves that religious purpose today. Next to Senjokaku stands a colorful five-storied pagoda originally built in 1407, which predates the shrine itself.
Senjokaku is a ten-minute walk from the Miyajima ferry pier, located on the hill just beside Itsukushima Shrine.
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- 8:30 to 16:30
- Closed
- No closing days
- Admission
- 100 yen (~$0.64)
- English name
- Original name
- Senjokaku Hall
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.