Fushimi Inari-taisha

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines.

Merchants and manufacturers worship Inari for wealth. Donated torii lining footpaths are part of the scenic view.

History

In 711, by order of the Emperor, three kami were placed in the now-sacred area of the shrine, Mount Inari.

Structures

At the bottom of the hill are the rōmon (楼門, literally "main gate") and the Go-Honden (御本殿, "main shrine"). Behind them in the middle of the mountain, the Oku miya (奥宮, "inner shrine") is reachable by a path lined with thousands of torii. To the top of the mountain are tens of thousands of tsuka (塚, "mound") for private worship.

Fox

Foxes (kitsune), regarded as the messengers, are often found in Inari shrines. One attribute is a key (for the rice granary) in their mouths.

Unlike most Shinto shrines, Fushimi Inari Taisha, in keeping with typical Inari shrines, has an open view of the main idol object (a mirror).

A drawing in Kiyoshi Nozaki's Kitsune: Japan's Fox of Mystery, Romance and Humor in 1786 depicting the shrine says that its two-story entry gate was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The shrine draws several million worshippers over the Japanese New Year, 2.69 million for 3 days in 2006 reported by the police, the most in western Japan.

Access

The shrine is a three-minute walk from JR Nara Line Inari Station, 5 minutes from Kyoto Station. It is a five-minute walk from Keihan Electric Railway Main Line Fushimi-Inari station.

Modern pop culture

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

External links

Official Site (ja) (NB: music plays automatically on the top web page)
Photographs of Fushimi Inari-taisha

Notes

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