Torii at Fushimi Inari-Taisha, southeast of Kyōto.

1,000 Gates at Fushimi Inari-taisha

Fushimi Inari-taisha

Shintō and Buddhism in Japan

Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the Shintō kami or deity Inari.

Inari is best known as the kami of rice, but Inari is also worshipped as the patron deity of business. The torii or vermillion gates lining the paths have been donated by businesses.

Inari is also the kami of foxes, who are often represented as guardians of shrines. Inari's pure white messenger foxes, or kitsune, act as the deity's messengers.

The deity Inari is represented as an old man carrying rice, as a young female food goddess, as an androgynous bodhisattva borrowed from Buddhist imagery, or as a combination of three or five kami. Good luck selecting a useful pronoun, there's a reason that Inari is always referred to by name. Over 32,000 Shintō shrines, over one-third of the total in Japan, are dedicated to Inari.

Breakfast at K's House in Kyōto.

Arrival

K's House at
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I was staying at K's House in Kyōto. It's just a short walk from Kyōto Station and several sights. And, you can get a big breakfast (and practice your katakana and hiragana) before setting out for a busy day.

I walked just a few blocks east and across the river to the Shichijō Station on the Keihan Main Line. My trusty PASMO card, which I bought on arrival at Tōkyō's Haneda Airport, worked here the same as it does throughout Japan on subways and local trains.

I rode just three stations south to the Fushimi-Inari Station. From there it's just a few blocks east, past the JR Inari Station and across a small river, to the shrine entrance. Electrical details are clearly visible in Japan.

Railroad tracks at Fushimi station in Kyōto.

Vendors line the way from the closer train station to the shrine entrance.

They get a lot of business. Several million worshippers visit during the Japanese New Year season.

Vendor booths outside Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vendor booths outside Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

A large torii or gate marks the entrance to the shrine grounds. Torii mark boundaries where you cross into increasingly sacred space. The large main gate is visible through the center of the torii, but first we'll stop at the lower structure in front of it.

Torii at entrance to Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples have ablutions fountains where you clean yourself before entering. It's the same concepts, you do it the same way, but Shintō and Buddhism use different terminology. In Shintō the purification rite is temizu, the water reservoir is chōzubachi, and the shelter is chōzuya or temizuya. Let's get clean! To do this properly:

  1. Pick up the dipper with your right hand, filling it from where water is pouring in or dipping water out of the reservoir.
  2. Pour the water over the fingers of your left hand, being careful to make sure that the water falls into the gutter around the reservoir.
  3. Transfer the dipper to your left hand, get more water if you need it, and pour water over the fingers of your right hand.
  4. Transfer the dipper back to your right hand, again getting more water as needed, and pour water into your cupped left hand.
  5. Take water out of your cupped left hand into your mouth, swish it around, then spit it into the gutter around the reservoir.
  6. Raise the dipper up so that the remaining water runs down over the handle and your right hand, falling into the gutter, and return the dipper to the fountain.
Ablutions fountain at main gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Koyasan

Earlier structures for this shrine were built in 711 in southwestern Kyōto. But in 816 the shrine was re-located at the request of the monk Kūkai, who had founded the Koyasan mountaintop complex of Buddhist monasteries and temples. The main complex here was built in 1499.

Fox guardian at main gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

The main gate or rōmon, the "tower gate", is flanked by guardian fox statues. Notice that each holds a key in its mouth. This represents Inari's key to the granery.

Main gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

The central passage through the gate is flanked by large niches holding statues. These are typically Niō, Hindu deities who have been incorporated as protectors against evil spirits. Their fierce appearance keeps demons and thieves out of the temple grounds. Here, they're samurai.

Typically, the figure on the left has an open mouth, pronouncing the sound of the Sanskrit letter अ or A, while the figure on the right has a closed mouth, pronouncing the sound of the Sanskrit latter म or MA. Together they pronounce the sacred syllable Aum or ॐ. Yes, it's very syncretic, pieces of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintō.

Guardian figures at main gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Guardian figures at main gate at gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

There are multiple pavilions within the lower shrine complex.

Small shrine near main gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Honden or primary shrine at gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

The honden or shinden or shōden is the most sacred structure at a Shintō shrine. It is strictly for the use of the enshrined kami (or spirit), which is usually symbolized by a mirror, or sometimes by a statue.

Many Shintō shrines hide the main object representing the kami. Fushimi Inari-Taisha, however, like most Inari shrines, has the main object visible. It's a mirror, as usual.

The honden of a shrine is usually at the rear, inaccessible by the general public. In front of the honden is usually the haiden or oratory. In a more elaborate shrine, a heiden or hall of offerings may connect the haiden to the honden.

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A rite is underway in the haiden of the main shrine down here at the lower complex at the entrance.

This shrine gets so many visitors that it has multiple ropes and bells. Usually there's just a single rope and bell at the center. Visitors shake the rope to rattle the bell and get the attention of the kami.

Shintō rite underway in the honden or primary shrine at gate at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

This shrine came under Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. Emperor Murakami decreed in 965 that messengers were to carry written accounts of important events to the guardian kami of Japan. This started with 16 shrines, including this one.

When the Emperor took overall control at the Meiji Restoration in the late 1860s, he soon officially designated this shrine as one of the first rank of government-supported shrines.

That ranking held until 1946. The Meiji Restoration had led to a greatly increased cult of the divine Emperor. That in turn led to Japan's nationally suicidal attitude during World War II. If everyone had to die to preserve the office of the Emperor, so be it. The Allies had spoken of "State Shintō". While the Japanese people hadn't used that term, the concept was dialed way back.

Starting up the First Path

The inner shrine or okumiya is part-way up the mountain. Tens of thousands of small shrines and altars line the path to the peak.

The railway station is at about 20 meters elevation at most. The peak is at 233 meters elevation. We have a little over 200 meters to ascend, let's get started.

There's one more multi-bell shrine before we pass through the torii leading to the lower path.

Start of the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Start of the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

OK, just one more picture in the rented kimono. Then we'll start climbing.

Fushimi Inari-Taisha is known for having over 1,000 torii. They were donated by businesses, as Inari is also a patron deity of merchants.

Start of the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

Looking forward, many sections look like you're moving through a vermillion tunnel.

Vermillion torii lining the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

Turn and look backward to see the business inscriptions.

Vermillion torii lining the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the first path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

You don't have to go very far at all to reach the first shrine along the way. The heavy rope and folded paper are standard symbols.

Meoto Iwa, the "Wedded Rocks" at Ise

The rope, made from rice straw or hemp, is shimenawa. It's believed to ward off evil spirits. It's also placed around yorishiro, objects that can attract spirits, and where spirits may dwell.

The zigzag paper streamers are shide. They're used in blessing and purification rituals.

Shrine at the start of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Start of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

The Main Path

Some people turn back here. You've passed through maybe 200 meters of torii tunnel, and seen multiple shrines. But we'll keep going. There are about 4 kilometers of paths.

Vermillion torii lining the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii lining the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
View over Kyōto from part-way up the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

The path emerges into a small open area part-way up. We've been in the forest, we lose track of how large and close the city of Kyōto is.

Okumiya, the inner shrine

The inner shrine complex has many shrines and altars.

Shrines part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrine altar part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

Climbing Further

We continue toward the peak.

Shrine altar part-way along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Verimillion torii along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii along the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

At The Peak

We've reached the pack, at 233 meters elevation.

Shrines at the peak of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines at the peak of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines at the peak of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines at the peak of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii at the peak of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Shrines at the peak of the main path at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.
Vermillion torii along the path descending from the peak at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine.

Returning to Kyōto

Now we have a long descent to return to the railway station and return to Kyōto. Where next?

Choose your next stop around Kyōto:

Or, somewhere else around Japan:

Prehistoric Yamato
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Fodors Japan
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Kansai region, central Honshū — Kyōto, Nara, Kōya-san, Ise, and Ōsaka
Inland Sea — Takamatsu, Naoshima and the art islands, Hiroshima
Kyūshū — Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Sakurajima, Oita, Mount Aso
Tōhoku region, northern Honshū — Nikkō, Aizu-Wakamatsu, Mount Bandai, Yamadera, Mount Haguro
Kantō region — Tōkyō and nearby
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