Considering a deity of prosperity imagine the stories held within the walls of Hetsugi Inari Shrine. This place is an Inari shrine. It is a type of Japanese shrine. These shrines are used to worship the kami Inari.
Inari is a popular deity. This deity is associated with foxes and rice. Inari also represents household wellbeing. The deity is also known for business prosperity. Inari shrines often feature white stucco walls. Their woodwork is red-lacquered. Entrances are marked by vermilion torii gates. Buddhist and Shinto Inari shrines dot Japan.
The legend of Inari started with Hata no Irogu. He used sticky rice for target practice. An arrow pierced the rice. The rice transformed into a white bird. It flew to Mount Mitsumine. There the bird turned back into rice plants.
Inari shrine development began in the ninth century. Kobo Daishi founded Shingon Buddhism. He appointed Inari as the protector kami for Toji temple in Kyoto. Kobo Daishi recognized the deity. This recognition helped advance Inari worship. Kobo Daishi climbed Inari mountain. He met an old man. He recognized him as Inari the rice kami. Kobo Daishi understood Inari’s significance. He built a shrine and inscribed it with characters for rice and sack.
Inari worship spread through adoption as a yashikigami. This functioned as an estate deity on family land. Merchants in developing cities adopted Inari. The deity became the kami of business. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries dividing and re-enshrining deities became common. This boosted the status of a town or patron. The Motomiya festival celebrates these enshrinements annually. It includes small household shrines. It also includes shrines belonging to public institutions.
Many variations of Inari origin myths exist. These developed and changed based on local practices. Inari’s function is fluid. The term Inari encompasses many deities and beliefs.
When Buddhism came to Japan many temples attached to Shinto shrines. This blurred the lines between the two beliefs. Prince Kangan Giin dreamt of Dakini-Shinten. This Buddhist goddess rode a white fox. Dakini-Shinten became the manifestation of Ukanomitama-no-mikoto. During the Meiji restoration Buddhist Inari temples survived. They asserted they primarily worshipped Dakini-Shinten. The fox was merely her companion. This allowed them to honor both.
Inari or Inari Okami improves performing arts. The deity blesses households. Inari brings business and general prosperity. Inari is also attributed to rice. The deity is also linked to sake, tea, fertility, foxes, agriculture and industry. The word Inari is an abbreviation. It means reaping of rice. It symbolizes heaven and earth. Inari is a principal Shinto deity. The deity houses feeds and protects people. Inari is one of the most widely venerated kami.
Inari shrines are popular. They include Shinto and Buddhist shrines throughout Japan. A 2007 report counted 2970 shrines dedicated to Inari. This number only included registered Shinto shrines. It excluded roadside, field, home, office, and Buddhist shrines. Inari worship centers around folk religion. It remains unchanged by Meiji Restorations.
The entrance to an Inari shrine has vermilion torii. There are also fox images. These are adorned with red yodarekake. The color red identifies Inari. Fushimi Inari-taisha is the main shrine in Kyoto. Its path features around a thousand torii.
Inari shrines have guardian foxes or kitsune. They are messengers of Inari. They are often thought of as the deity itself. The kitsune statues come in pairs. They represent male and female. They hold jewels, keys, rice sheaves, scrolls, or fox cubs. Almost every Inari shrine features these statues. They flank the altar or main sanctuary. The statues are stylized. They portray seated animals looking forward. Their tails are in the air. The statues are individualistic. No two are the same. Fox statues at entrances signify an Inari shrine.
Rice and sake are offered at the shrine. Other foods appease the kitsune messengers. Worshippers expect them to plead with Inari. Inari-zushi is a popular offering. Fried tofu is believed to be a fox favorite. The roll’s corners resemble fox ears. Priests do not normally offer food. Shops near the shrine sell fried tofu. Devotees buy it as an offering. Worshippers often offer fox statues. Sometimes a stuffed fox is presented. Some temples once housed live foxes. This is no longer practiced. Toyokawa Inari temple kept live foxes in the 1920s.