Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari, located in
Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named
Inari which is 233 meters above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain
to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometers and takes approximately 2 hours
to walk up.
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A good view of the main entrance which is packed with people
and food vendors.
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A drawing in the book 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.
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Foxes or kitsune, guard the front gate as the messengers,
are often found in Inari shrines. One attribute is a key (for the rice granary)
in their mouths.
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Each of the torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha is donated by a
Japanese business. First and foremost, though, Inari is the god of rice.
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Since early Japan, Inari was seen as the patron of business,
and merchants and manufacturers have traditionally worshipped Inari.
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