KKM Chapter 1 historical note

I only have one page today. But it took me a long time to translate the text. :P Paragraphs about Japanese history are a bit more of a job than manga dialog. But anyway...

１神の島：厳島の今昔

1 Island of God: Itsukushima’s past and present

神話や伝説が息づく島、厳島

Island of living myths and legends, Itsukushima

松島、天橋立とともに日本三景のひとつである安芸の宮島。厳島とも呼ばれ、雄大な自然と神秘的な佇まいに、古来、神が宿るとしてさまざまな神話や伝説が語り継がれてきた。天然記念物と弥山原始林と海上に浮かぶ厳島神社世界文化遺産に登録され、世界中から観光客が訪ねている。

Along with Matsushima and Amanohashidate, Aki Miyajima is counted as one of Japan’s three beauty spots. With majestic nature and mysterious appearances, Miyajima (also called Itsukushima) is known as the dwelling place of the gods, and many myths and legends have been handed down since ancient times. The natural monument Mt. Misen and the floating Itsukushima shrine have been registered as world cultural heritage sites, and people from all over the world come to visit.

標高的５３３m、宮島で最も高い弥山は、８０６年に弘法大師・空海が開創。１２００年余り、山岳信仰の霊峰として平清盛などに崇められてきた。"日本の三景の真価の頂上の眺めにあり"と言われ、原始林が史跡、寺社など多くの見どころ。

At a height of 533 meters, Misen is Miyajima’s tallest mountain. In 806 BCE the monk Kobodaishi (Kuukai) founded a shrine at its summit. Around 1200 BCE, the site became revered as a sacred mountain by the likes of Taira no Kiyomori. It’s been said, “The true value of this one of Japan’s beauty spots is the view from the summit,” and its many highlights include virgin forest, shrines and temples, and historic landmarks.

推古の天皇即位の年（５９３年）に創建された厳島神社は、神様と人間界と結ぶ"接点"と言われる場所。仁安３年（１１６８年）、平清盛によって造営された社殿は、神殿造りの様式を取り入れつつ海の上という自然条件も克服したなくみな造り。８００年以上の歴史の中で、機度も災害にあいながらも、ほぼ創建当時も見ることができる。シンボル的存在の大鳥居は満潮時には堂々と海面に浮かび、干潮時には干潟に穏やかな雰囲気をまとって佇んでいる。

Established in 593 BCE, the year of Empress Suiko’s coronation, Itsukushima is said to be the point of contact between humans and gods. In Year 3 of the Nin’an period, the shrine pavilions established by Taira no Kiyomori, incorporating the style of the main rooms, were a triumph over nature, an ingenious structure “on top of the sea.” During its post-1800 history, even while meeting disasters time and again, Itsukushima has managed to appear nearly the same as at its founding. The symbolic presence of the Torii gate floats boldly on the surface of the sea at high tide, and at low tide stands on the tidelands cloaked in an atmosphere of calmness.