Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which is 233 metres (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.

Inari was originally and remains primarily the kami of rice and agriculture, but merchants also worship Inari as the patron of business.

Each of Fushimi Inari-taisha's roughly 10,000 torii was donated by a Japanese business, and approximately 800 of these are set up in rows that give the impression of entering a tunnel.

Owing to the popularity of Inari's division and re-enshrinement, this shrine is said to have as many as 32,000 sub-shrines (bunsha) throughout Japan.

Urasando torii (Shinko-michi).

Great Torii (Otorii).

Fox statue (Kitsune-zo).
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 object of worship (a mirror).

Second Torii (Niban torii).
The Car Purification Bay is to the right of this gate.

Main gate (Romon, "tower gate").
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.

Hand Washing Stall (Chozuya).

Koma Fox (Komakitsune).
Fox holding a key in its mouth, at the main gate of the Fushimi Inari shrine.

Two guardian archers.
Two shinto guardian archers sitting at either side of the main gate.

Purification ritual (Nagoshi no Harae).
The ancient Shinto purification ritual, Nagoshi no Harae, occurs at the end of June every year at Shinto shrines throughout Japan.

This sacred tradition, which was first established during the Nara Period (710-794), involves a ceremony that atones for sins committed in the first half of the year, offering a chance for a new beginning in the remaining half.
Participants in Nagoshi no Harae pass through a chinowa, which is considered sacred grass wreaths symbolic of purification in Japanese culture.

Outer Oratory (Gehaiden).

Front view of the Oratory (Haiden).
In Shinto shrine architecture, the Haiden is the hall of worship or oratory.

It is generally placed in front of the shrine's main sanctuary (Honden) and often built on a larger scale than the latter.

Inside view of the Oratory (Haiden).

Ema hall (Ema-do).
Ema (lit. 'picture-horse') are small wooden plaques, common to Japan, in which Shinto and Buddhist worshippers write prayers or wishes. Ema are left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits or gods) are believed to receive them.

Typically 15 cm (5.9 in) wide and 9 cm (3.5 in) tall, they often carry images or are shaped like animals, or symbols from the zodiac, Shinto, or the particular shrine or temple.
Once inscribed with a wish, ema are hung at the shrine until they are ritually burned at special events, symbolic of the liberation of the wish from the writer.

Torii gate next to the Gonden hall (right).
The Gonden hall (Temporary sanctuary) was made in the Gokensha Nagarezukuri style in 1645.

Torii gate next to the Tamayama Inari Shrine (left).

Fushimi Inari Shrine map.

Torii gate next to Okumiya (left).
Here begins the the rows of torii gates, known as Senbon Torii.

Rows of torii gates (Senbon Torii).
The highlight of the shrine is the rows of torii gates, known as Senbon Torii.

The custom to donate a torii began spreading from the Edo period (1603–1868) to have a wish come true or in gratitude for a wish that came true, with successive gates being added up to the present day by donors out of gratitude.
Along the main path there are around 800 torii gates.

Path junction.
Here the path splits. We are asked to take the path to the right.

Okusha worship place (Okusha Hohaisho).
More commonly known as Okuno-in, the Okusha Hohaisho prayer building is located in the Myobu-dani valley to the east of the main shrine building, at the end of the Senbon Torii (Thousand Torii) gateways.

People come here to pray to the holy mountain Inariyama, whose three peaks can be seen right behind the building.

Omokaruishi Stone Lanterns.
There is a pair of stone lanterns in the back right-hand corner of Okusha Hohaisho.

Make a wish in front of one of the lanterns and pick up the top of the lantern (kuurin).
If the stone feels lighter than you expected, your wish will come true, and if it feels heavier, your wish will be unlikely to come true.

Always going up towards Shin-ike Pond.

Shirahata-ko Shrine.

Last steps to reach Shin-ike Pond.

Shin-ike Pond.
Past Shu no Tamagaki is a pond called Shin-ike or Kodamagaike, which reflects the greenery on the mountain.

There is a belief that when you are looking for someone who is lost, you clap your hands in front of the pond. Your clapping will echo from the direction where the lost person can be found.
There is a stone prayer area (haisho) jutting into the pond. An otsuka worshiping stone engraved with the deity name Kumataka Okami can be found here.