Birth in the Oath (Ukei) Myth. Ichikishima-hime appears in the oath myth of the "Kojiki" and "Nihon Shoki" as one of the Munakata Three Goddesses^[1]. Suspecting the true intentions of Susanoo-no-Mikoto who ascended to Takamagahara, Amaterasu Omikami broke the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi he wore into three pieces, cleansed them in the water of Ame-no-Manai, and chewed them. From the mist of her exhaled breath, the three goddesses Tagori-hime, Tagitsu-hime, and Ichikishima-hime were born. By the divine decree of Amaterasu, the three goddesses descended to the sea route (umi-no-kita-no-michi-naka) of the Genkai Sea connecting the continent, the Korean Peninsula, and Kyushu, and were commanded to receive the rituals of successive emperors to protect the nation and safeguard maritime traffic. This is the origin of the Munakata faith, which developed into the rituals of the three shrines of Munakata Taisha: Okitsu-gu (Okinoshima / Tagori-hime), Nakatsu-gu (Oshima / Tagitsu-hime), and Hetsu-gu (Tashima, Munakata City / Ichikishima-hime).

Invitation to Aki/Miyajima and the Founding of Itsukushima Shrine. According to the shrine traditions of Itsukushima Shrine, it was founded in the first year of Empress Suiko (593) by Saeki-no-Kuramoto, who received a divine oracle to enshrine the Munakata Three Goddesses. Miyajima (Itsukushima), as its name "Itsukushima" (an island where deities are enshrined) suggests, was considered a sacred domain in its entirety. Since ancient times, there was a taboo against people living there or childbirth and burials taking place on the island. At the end of the Heian period, Taira no Kiyomori, who became the governor of Aki, deeply revered the shrine. During the Nin'an era (around 1166-69), he carried out a massive construction project to build the Shinden-zukuri style shrine over the sea as seen today, leading Itsukushima Shrine to prosperity as the guardian deity of the Taira clan. The national treasure "Heike Nokyo" (sutras dedicated by the Taira clan) symbolizes the deep faith of Kiyomori and the Taira clan in Itsukushima.

Syncretism with Benzaiten: "Itsukushima Daimyojin". During the medieval syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, Ichikishima-hime was syncretized with Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess governing water, wealth, performing arts, and beauty^[2]. The two were linked by their commonality as beautiful goddesses of water (the sea), and Itsukushima formed a syncretic belief sphere as "Itsukushima Daimyojin," constituting an integrated grand temple complex with the adjacent Daiganji Temple (Koyasan Shingon sect). With the rise of the Benzaiten faith, the popularity of Ichikishima-hime also surged, making her the most famous among the Munakata Three Goddesses. The Benzaiten of Miyajima is counted as one of Japan's Three Great Benzaiten, alongside those of Enoshima (Kanagawa) and Chikubushima (Shiga).

Separation of Shinto and Buddhism and the Present. Due to the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order in the first year of the Meiji era (1868), the syncretized Itsukushima Daimyojin was divided. Benzaiten was moved to Daiganji Temple, and Ichikishima-hime remained enshrined as the principal deity of Itsukushima Shrine. Currently, Itsukushima Shrine enshrines the Munakata Three Goddesses, with Ichikishima-hime at the head, gathering reverence from across the nation as deities of maritime protection, traffic safety, wealth, performing arts, and matchmaking. The vermilion Otorii gate and the Shinden-zukuri shrine buildings over the sea, considered the pinnacle of shrine architecture, along with the ebbing and flowing Seto Inland Sea, form an unparalleled sacred sanctuary that visualizes the divine nature of the "Goddess of Water," Ichikishima-hime.