Miyajima, also called Itsukushima Island, is an island approximately 2km off Honshu at the western side of Hiroshima Bay. “Miyajima” literally means “Shrine Island”, and it is noted for the shrine built out over the sea with a large torii in the water. The other name of the island, Itsukushiam, also has a religious meaning and can be translated as “Island of Divine Worship”. The island as a whole has been regarded as a sacred island and as an object of worship since ancient times. Even today the islanders keep the traditional custom of having neither burials nor cremations on the island; for this reason, there is no cemetery on Miyajima. Formerly births and deaths were not officially allowed to take place on the island, but 20th century secularism has affected the strict sacredness of the place and allowed some flexibility in the traditional custom.