Around the year 593, the lacquered vermilion entrance gate to Itsukushima Shrine was built over the water ... pagoda's five tiers of wooden eaves gently curving upwards are an icon of Japanese ...

Japanese people know all about the Kappa - a slippery water demon from ancient folklore. The pond and river-dwelling monsters are typically depicted as human-like but with the scaly green or blue ...

The pagoda is about 50 meters tall, making it the second-tallest wooden pagoda in Japan after the one at Toji temple in Kyoto. It was originally built in 730 by order of Empress Komyo, and has ...