{{short description|Shinto shrine near Kyoto, Japan}} {{Infobox religious building | name = Fushimi Inari-Taisha | native_name = 伏見稲荷大社 | native_name_lang = ja | image = File:Torii path with lantern at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto, Japan.jpg | caption = ''Torii'' path with a hanging lantern at Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine | map_type = Japan Kyoto#Japan | map_alt = | coordinates = <span style="white-space: nowrap;">{{coord|34|58|2|N|135|46|22|E|type:landmark|display=inline}}</span> | map_relief = | map_size = | map_caption = | religious_affiliation = Shinto | type = Inari shrine | deity = Uka-no-Mitama-no-Ōkami, et al. as Inari Ōkami | founded_by = | established = 711 | date_destroyed = | location = Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan | website = {{URL|http://inari.jp/en/}} | architecture_style = Kasuga-zukuri | festival = | leadership = }}
{{Nihongo|'''Fushimi Inari-taisha'''|伏見稲荷大社|lead=yes}} is the head shrine of the ''kami'' Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is {{convert|233|m}} above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span {{convert|4|km}} and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.<ref name="inariyama">{{cite web|url=http://www.jisyameguri.com/chiiki/kyoto/fushimi-inari/ |script-title=ja:全国のお稲荷さんの総本宮、伏見稲荷大社を参拝しました。|access-date=28 March 2014|language=ja|trans-title=Nationwide Inari Shrines, I visited the Fushimi Inari-taisha.}}</ref> It is unclear whether the mountain's name, ''Inariyama'', or the shrine's name came first.<ref name=":0">Keller (2022): 2. </ref>
The shrine was formally founded in 711 CE by the Hata clan, an influential immigrant group from the Korean Peninsula. Inari was originally and remains primarily the ''kami'' of rice and agriculture, but merchants also worship Inari as the patron of business.<ref>Keller (2022): 1. </ref> Each of Fushimi Inari-taisha's roughly 10,000 torii were donated by a Japanese business, and approximately 800 of these are set in a row to form the Senbon Torii, creating the impression of a tunnel.<ref name="NDL">{{cite web|url=https://crd.ndl.go.jp/reference/modules/d3ndlcrdentry/index.php?page=ref_view&id=1000130073 |title=伏見稲荷大社にある千本鳥居の由来と数を知りたい|website=National Diet Library of Japan Collaborative Reference Database|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> The shrine is said to have ten thousand such gates in total that designate the entrance to the holy domain of ''kami'' and protect it against wicked forces.<ref name=":0" />
Owing to the popularity of Inari's division and re-enshrinement, this shrine is said to have as many as 32,000 sub-shrines (分社 ''bunsha'') throughout Japan.<ref name="bunpu">{{cite web|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=776|title=Shamei Bunpu (Shrine Names and Distributions)|last=Motegi|first=Sadazumi|publisher=Encyclopedia of Shinto|access-date=31 March 2010}}</ref>
==History== [[File:Nobu3withfoxy IMG 0155 (14564801685).jpg|thumb|Front view of the ''haiden''|left]]
The shrine's foundation is traditionally dated to 711 CE (the Wadō era), though its religious significance is deeply rooted in the migration of the Hata clan (秦氏, Hata-uji).<ref>{{cite web |last=E.P. |title=Fushimi Inari Taisha |url=https://www.japan-experience.com/all-about-japan/kyoto/temples-shrines/fushimi-inari-taisha |website=Japan Experience |date=2 October 2020 |access-date=15 January 2026 |language=en}}</ref> The Hata were a prominent group of toraijin (immigrants from the Korean Peninsula) who settled in the Yamashiro Province during the Kofun period. Historical and genealogical records, such as the Shinsen Shōjiroku, suggest the clan migrated from the Korean kingdom of Silla or Paekche, bringing advanced continental technologies in irrigation, sericulture, and sake brewing to Japan.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=「伊奈利社創祀前史」 ~伏見稲荷大社~ |url=https://inari.jp/about/history/num11/ |access-date= |website=inari.jp}}</ref>
According to the Yamashiro-no-kuni Fudoki, the shrine was established by Hata no Irogu (秦伊呂具). Legend states that Irogu, a wealthy landowner, shot an arrow at a mochi, which then transformed into a white bird and flew to the peak of Mount Inari; rice grew where the bird landed, leading Irogu to enshrine the deity there. The Hata clan's technical expertise in agriculture and their close ties to the Imperial Court allowed the Inari deity to transition from a private clan tutelary (ujigami) to a major national protector of the harvest and the state.<ref name=":3" />
The shrine gained imperial patronage during the early Heian period.<ref>Breen, John ''et al.'' (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=MADlfH002mAC&q=oharano ''Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami,'' pp. 74–75.]</ref> In 965, Emperor Murakami decreed that messengers carry written accounts of important events to the guardian ''kami'' of Japan. These ''heihaku'' were initially presented to 16 shrines, including the Inari Shrine.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). ''Studies in Shinto and Shrines,'' pp. 116–117.</ref>
From 1871 through 1946, Fushimi Inari-taisha was officially designated one of the {{nihongo|''Kanpei-taisha''|官幣大社}}, meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 124.</ref>
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).
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 worshipers over the Japanese New Year, 2.69 million for 3 days in 2006 reported by the police, the most in western Japan.
===Structures=== The earliest structures were built in 711 on the ''Inariyama'' hill in southwestern Kyoto, but the shrine was re-located in 816 on the request of the monk Kūkai. The main shrine structure was built in 1499.<ref name="japan_ency224">Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric ''et al.'' (1998). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&dq=1752+revolt++and+japon&pg=PA123 ''Japan encyclopedia,'' p. 224.]</ref> At the bottom of the hill are the {{nihongo|main gate|楼門||''rōmon'', "tower gate"}} and the {{Nihongo|main shrine|御本殿||''go-honden''}}. Behind them, in the middle of the mountain, the {{Nihongo|inner shrine|奥宮||''okumiya''}} is reachable by a path lined with thousands of ''torii''. On the way to the top of the mountain are tens of thousands of rock altars ''(otsuka'' お塚) for private worship. These rock altars are personalised Inari that have been set up there by citizens. Most of them have individual names for Inari engraved on them.<ref>Smyers (1996): 93-94. </ref>
==== Senbon Torii ==== The highlight of the shrine is the rows of torii gates, known as Senbon torii (千本鳥居), "thousand 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.<ref name="NDL"></ref>
==Access and environs==
thumb|160px|Walking up part of the torii path
The shrine is just outside Inari Station on the Nara Line of the West Japan Railway Company (JR), a five-minute ride from Kyoto Station. It is a short walk from Fushimi-Inari Station on the Main Line of the Keihan Electric Railway.<ref name="japan guide">[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html Fushimi Inari Shrine], How to get there</ref>
The shrine is open 24 hours with the approach to the shrine and the {{nihongo|Honden|本殿|main hall}} itself illuminated all night. There is no entrance fee.
In the approach to the shrine are a number of sweet shops selling {{Nihongo||辻占煎餅|tsujiura senbei}}, a form of fortune cookie dating at least to the 19th century, and which are believed by some to be the origin of the American fortune cookie.<ref name=solving>Lee, Jennifer 8. (January 16, 2008). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/dining/16fort.html Solving a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside a Cookie]" ''The New York Times''. Retrieved on January 16, 2008.</ref><ref name="reallyjapan">{{cite web|title=Fortune Cookies are really from Japan. |url=http://www.fortunecookiechronicles.com/2008/01/16/fortune-cookies-are-really-from-japan/ |author-link=Jennifer 8. Lee |first=Jennifer |last=8. Lee |date=January 16, 2008 |work=The Fortune Cookie Chronicles official website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725122139/http://www.fortunecookiechronicles.com/2008/01/16/fortune-cookies-are-really-from-japan/ |archive-date=2011-07-25 }}</ref><ref name=Ono>{{cite web|last=Ono|first=Gary|title=Japanese American Fortune Cookie: A Taste of Fame or Fortune – Part II|url=http://www.discovernikkei.org/forum/en/node/1935|date=2007-10-31|access-date=2020-02-16|archive-date=2009-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404074145/http://www.discovernikkei.org/forum/en/node/1935|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==In popular culture== *''High School Inari Tamamo-chan'', where the main character a fox spirit came from along with her siblings. *A part of the Noh play ''Kokaji'' takes place in ''Fushimi Inari-taisha''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.noh-kyogen.com/story/english/Kokaji.pdf |title=Kokaji (pamphlet) |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=noh-kyogen.com |access-date=2018-01-09 |archive-date=2018-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820173916/http://www.noh-kyogen.com/story/english/Kokaji.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> *The shrine inspired Nintendo game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, to create the series Star Fox. In the series, players control Fox McCloud and fly starfighters through colorful rings in aerial combat. Miyamoto attributed these inspirations to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is within walking distance of the Nintendo Kyoto campus.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/3ds/starfox/0/2/ | title=Iwata Asks - Nintendo 3DS - Page 3 }}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery widths=200 heights=200> File:Fushimi-Inari-Shrine-Senbon-Torii-2018-Luka-Peternel.jpg|View of the south-western wing of Senbon Torii path. File:Fushimi-Inari-Shrine-Senbon-Torii-2016-Luka-Peternel.jpg|View of the north-eastern wing of Senbon Torii path. File:Toris inari 3.jpg|A ''torii'' path across the mountain from the side File:Hushimi-inari-taisha honden.jpg|A honden File:Kyoto FushimiInari01.jpg|楼門, rōmon, tower gate (main gate) File:Fushimi-Inari-taisha 4.jpg File:20100714 Kyoto Fushimi Inari 1655.jpg File:Kyoto Schrein Fushimi-Inari-taisha 10.jpg File:Fukakusa Kaidoguchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 612-0805, Japan - panoramio (1).jpg </gallery>
===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.
{{clear}} <gallery widths=200 heights=200> File:Inari-kitsune fox in front of an Inari shrine with a key in its mouth.jpg|Fox holding a key in its mouth, at the main gate of the Fushimi Inari shrine File:The image of the fox that example mouth the jewel.jpg|Fox holding a jewel in its mouth at the main gate of the Fushimi Inari shrine File:Inari sculpture.jpg|Fox sculpture in Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine File:Inari fountain.jpg|Fox fountain in Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine File:Fox Fountain - Fushimi Inari 2010.jpg|Another view of the fox fountain File:20181110 Fushimi Inari shrine 9.jpg|Fox altar in Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine File:Fushimi Inari Taisha Kitsune.jpg|Kitsune statue in the Senbon Torii File:Fushimi_Inari_shrines.jpg|Fox guardian at the Fushimi Inari shrine. </gallery>
==See also== {{Portal|Architecture|Japan}} * List of Shinto shrines * Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines * Twenty-Two Shrines
==References== {{reflist}}
===Bibliography=== * Breen, John and Mark Teeuwen. (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=MADlfH002mAC&q=nijunisha ''Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami.''] Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8248-2363-4}} * Keller, Matthew Paul (2022): ''The Appeal of the Fox: The Cult of Inari and Premodern Japan.'' University of Southern California. * Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (1998). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&dq=1752+revolt++and+japon&pg=PA123 ''Japan encyclopedia.''] Cambridge: Harvard University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-674-01753-5}} * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). [https://books.google.com/books?id=tjEvAAAAYAAJ&q=Studies+in+Shinto+and+Shrines ''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''] Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/3994492 OCLC 399449] * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard (1959). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SLAeAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Imperial+House+of+Japan ''The Imperial House of Japan.''] Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/194887 OCLC 194887] * Smyers, Karen A. (1997). [https://web.archive.org/web/20140928091422/http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/2641 Inari pilgrimage: Following one’s path on the mountain], Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 24 (3–4), 427–452 * Smyers, Karen A. (1996): "My Own Inari": Personalization of the Deity in Inari Worship. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 23 (1-2): 85-116. * Cali, Joseph, and John Dougill. Shinto shrines: a guide to the sacred sites of Japan's ancient religion. University of Hawaii Press, 2012.
==External links== {{commons category|Fushimi Inari-taisha}} *{{official website|http://inari.jp/}} {{in lang|ja}} *{{official website|http://inari.jp/en/}} {{in lang|en}} *[https://trippers.info/japan/kyoto/0001 Fushimi Inari-taisha] {{in lang|ja}} *[http://www.taleofgenji.org/fushimi-inari.html Photographs of Fushimi Inari-taisha] on taleofgenji.org *[https://www.accessible-japan.com/places/japan/kyoto/kyoto/attractions/fushimi-inari-shrine/ Accessibility information] on Accessible Japan *{{OSM|w|96291583}}
{{Fushimi-ku, Kyoto|state=expanded}} {{Shinto shrine}} {{Inari Faith}} {{coord|34|58|02|N|135|46|22|E|region:JP_type:landmark|display=title}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Important Cultural Properties (Japan) Category:Inari shrines Category:Shinto shrines in Kyoto Category:Fushimi-ku, Kyoto Category:Kanpei Taisha Category:Former Beppyo shrines Category:Myōjin Taisha Category:Twenty-Two Shrines Category:Taisha Category:Independent shrines Category:Kasuga-zukuri