The Maker Speaks
Fushimi-inari Taisha
The Grand Head of All Inari-shrines
The Grand Head of All Inari-shrines
Hello. I'm talking about Fushimi-inari Taisha, the popular shrine you can see in southern Kyoto. I suppose it is internationally popular. I heard you would see countless tourists there almost everyday. Maybe you have already visited.
The Main Gate of Fushimi-inari Taisha
And I am telling you what it is in a simple way. What's the Fushimi-inari Taisha? It is the grand head of all Inari-shrines located all over Japan. It is said there are about 30 thousand Inari-shrines in Japan. What does the number mean? They say there are about 24 thousand post offices open in 2020 Japan. Then, it means the shrines whose names include Inari are more than the whole post offices all over Japan. And Fushimi-inari Taisha is the grand head of them all. It is said to have built in the first half of the 8th century.
What does the Inari mean? you may ask. I suppose the word is not so popular overseas. It is another name of foxes in Japan's language. Why don't you look around there when you visit? You can find some fox images in the shrine. They say foxes are the familiar of the deity Inari. Human cannot see the familiar like deities are invisible, they say they enshrine white (means limpid) fox images in Fushimi-inari Taisha.
In the shrine, there are many spots to visit. Or we will never see many tourists there. If you have a chance to visit, why don't you pass thru the Consecutive Gates (torii)? It is the most popular spot among them all. They say they have about 10 thousand gates there!
The Consecutive Gates of Fushimi-inari Taisha
The Main Gate of Fushimi-inari Taisha
File: Fushimiinari-taisha, torii-1-2.jpg
from the Japanese Wikipedia
（Photoed on April 19, 2020）
And I am telling you what it is in a simple way. What's the Fushimi-inari Taisha? It is the grand head of all Inari-shrines located all over Japan. It is said there are about 30 thousand Inari-shrines in Japan. What does the number mean? They say there are about 24 thousand post offices open in 2020 Japan. Then, it means the shrines whose names include Inari are more than the whole post offices all over Japan. And Fushimi-inari Taisha is the grand head of them all. It is said to have built in the first half of the 8th century.
What does the Inari mean? you may ask. I suppose the word is not so popular overseas. It is another name of foxes in Japan's language. Why don't you look around there when you visit? You can find some fox images in the shrine. They say foxes are the familiar of the deity Inari. Human cannot see the familiar like deities are invisible, they say they enshrine white (means limpid) fox images in Fushimi-inari Taisha.
In the shrine, there are many spots to visit. Or we will never see many tourists there. If you have a chance to visit, why don't you pass thru the Consecutive Gates (torii)? It is the most popular spot among them all. They say they have about 10 thousand gates there!
The Consecutive Gates of Fushimi-inari Taisha
File: KyotoFushimiInariLarge.jpg
from the Japanese Wikipedia
（Photoed on July 15, 2004）
