Fushimi Inari Taisha

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is a shinto jinja (shrine) dedicated to the spirit Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It is especially well known for the thousands of vermilion torii lining the paths on the hill on which the shrine is located and was feature in the film Memoirs of a Geisha. The torii gates are all donations from individuals, families or companies. The Inari spirit is considered to be the protector of grains, especially rice, and has thus historically been associated with wealth. Companies often make offerings to Inari shrines in the form of barrels of rice wine (sake) or torii gates. At the bottom of the hill is the Go-Honden Shrine (御本殿) and the Sakura-mon gate (桜門). After following the torii lined hiking paths, you can stop at various food stalls that specialize in Kitsune udon, a popular noodle dish named after Kitsune which are regarded as the gods of harvest. Statues of kitsune are often found depicted in Inari shrines with a key (for the rice granary) in their mouths. At the top of the hill is the main shrine. Unlike most Shinto shrines, Fushimi Inari Taisha, like most other Inari shrines has an open view of the main idol object (a mirror). In addition to the more famous torii lined walking paths going from the “front” of the shrine area, walking paths from the rear do exist. They go through a bamboo forest that offers a far different experience then the main route. The paths start/emerge near the sports fields belonging to Ritsumeikan High School. The easiest way to get to Fushimi Inari shrine is to take the train. Japan Railway Inari Station (about 5 min. from Kyoto Station on the Nara line, cost 150 yen) is directly across the street from the Sakura-mon gate. The next closest station is Keihan Fushimi-Inari station. Kyoto Hotel Looking for Kyoto Accommodation? Please support our site by using our Kyoto Hotel reservation system. (Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License) | | |