This article introduces Fushimi Inari Taisha, a shrine famous for its fox deity. As mentioned in previous articles, the entire Inari mountain is filled with the power and faith of people seeking prosperity in business, and this power has been continuously passed down as Inari worship from the Heian period to the present day.
Due to its profound history, Fushimi Inari is one of Kyoto’s leading power spots with a mysterious atmosphere.
Through the “O-yama-meguri” (mountain pilgrimage) around Mt. Inari that we introduce in this article, we hope you will experience its mystical air.
In previous articles, we introduced the path from Gozengami to Mitsurugi-sha. In this fifth installment, we will introduce the final goal of the pilgrimage: the three peaks of Inari.
Please refer to the following for the first, second, third, and fourth parts.
Now, let’s resume our mountain pilgrimage. Only the three peaks of Inari remain. As the name suggests, Mt. Inari has three small peaks, named from the highest: Ichi-no-mine (First Peak), Ni-no-mine (Second Peak), and San-no-mine (Third Peak).
If you turn right at Yotsutsuji (the four-way intersection) to head for the three peaks, you will visit them in increasing order of altitude: San-no-mine, Ni-no-mine, and Ichi-no-mine. However, this time, we are taking the route from the rear via Gozengami, so the first peak we will visit is Ichi-no-mine.
- Ichi-no-mine (First Peak)
- Ichi-no-mine Kami-no-sha Suehiro-sha
- Path to Ni-no-mine (Second Peak)
- Ni-no-mine Naka-no-sha
- Naka-no-sha Sacred Object
- Ni-no-mine O-tsuka and Tsuji-tei
- Ai-no-mine (Between Peaks) Kada-sha
- Ai-no-mine Kada-sha Nune-torii
- Ai-no-mine Iseya
- Ai-no-mine to San-no-mine
- San-no-mine Shimo-no-sha
- San-no-mine Shimo-no-sha Sacred Object
- San-no-mine Okamoto-ten
- Torii Gate between San-no-mine and Yotsutsuji
- Path from Yotsutsuji to Santoku-sha
- From Mitamatei to Mitsutsuji
Ichi-no-mine (First Peak)
We climb the steep stairs from the Mitsurugi-sha direction. Along the way, there is a sign with an arrow that tells you you’re getting close to Ichi-no-mine.
Once you reach the top of the stairs, the long corridor of torii gates opens up, and it suddenly becomes bright.
This is the summit of Mt. Inari, “Ichi-no-mine.”
All the torii corridors of Fushimi Inari Taisha lead to this Ichi-no-mine, and this is the final destination of that long corridor.
At 233m, it is not very high, but it has a magnificent presence befitting a shrine at the summit, making the arduous climb well worth it.
There is a sign indicating that this is the summit.
Ichi-no-mine Kami-no-sha Suehiro-sha
This is “Kami-no-sha,” the shrine at Ichi-no-mine, one of the seven sacred sites of Fushimi Inari.
Who is the deity enshrined here? The five deities of Fushimi Inari Taisha are considered equal, but the most famous is Uka-no-mitama-no-okami, enshrined in the central seat of the main hall. I thought that this Ichi-no-mine, Kami-no-sha, also enshrined Uka-no-mitama-no-okami, but in fact, it does not.
The enshrined deity is Omiyanome-no-kami, who is enshrined in the south seat of the main hall of Fushimi Inari Taisha. This deity is also affectionately known as Suehiro-okami.
Omiyanome-no-kami is considered to be the same as Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto, who appears in the myth of Ama-no-Iwato. This is because the deity of Ni-no-mine, Sarutahiko-no-okami (also known as Sarutahiko-no-mikoto), is the husband of Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto.
The sacred object of Suehiro-okami is dedicated here.
It is said that a burial mound once existed at the summit of Mt. Inari around the 4th century.
This was before the Hata clan enshrined the Inari deity in 711, which suggests that Mt. Inari was a suitable place to enshrine gods and ancestors even then. Magatama (comma-shaped beads), deformed quadruple-beast mirrors, and two-god, two-beast mirrors have been excavated from the surrounding area.
Path to Ni-no-mine (Second Peak)
After visiting Ichi-no-mine, we move on to Ni-no-mine. Since Ichi-no-mine is the summit of Mt. Inari, the path to Ni-no-mine is downhill.
Also, the torii gates on Mt. Inari face toward Ichi-no-mine, so once you pass Ichi-no-mine, the torii gates are facing backward, as you can see.
After a short descent, you will see the “O-tsuka” (sacred mounds) of Ni-no-mine.
Although not as numerous as at Gozengami, a considerable number of o-tsuka are densely clustered here.
Ni-no-mine Naka-no-sha
At Ni-no-mine, there is a shrine called Naka-no-sha, where Aoki-okami is enshrined. Aoki-okami is also known as Sarutahiko-okami or Sarutahiko-no-mikoto.
Sarutahiko-okami is the deity who guided Ninigi-no-mikoto during the “Tenson-korin” (descent of the heavenly grandchild), and is also the husband of Omiyanome-no-kami (Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto) at Ichi-no-mine.
Kamotaketsunomi-no-mikoto, enshrined at Tanaka-sha, was also a guide who led Emperor Jinmu.
These deities are cherished by people as guardian gods of the road who guide people, and also as benevolent gods who lead them to abundant harvests and business prosperity.
Naka-no-sha Sacred Object
The sacred object of Naka-no-sha is enshrined in the back of the main hall. On both sides of the sacred object were both a fox and a komainu (guardian dog).
Ni-no-mine O-tsuka and Tsuji-tei
This is one of the o-tsuka at Ni-no-mine. This one is a fox wearing a knitted hat.
The photo below is of the “Tsuji-tei” teahouse.
Offerings called “goshinku” are lined up on the shelves.
At Gozengami, you can also offer “onikku” (daily offerings) at San-ga-mine, but you can also make direct offerings at the mountaintop.
These are the guardian foxes of the o-tsuka at Ni-no-mine.
You can also dedicate a red torii gate at an o-tsuka. While most shrines accept offerings like candles and goma (wooden prayer sticks) that do not leave a physical trace, here at Fushimi Inari, you can dedicate torii gates that do, and when many people visit, the number of gates becomes immense.
Each of these torii gates represents a person’s wishes, and the concentration of these wishes is incomparably higher than at other shrines.
We leave the torii gate at the entrance of Ni-no-mine. After descending the stairs for a while, we arrive at Ai-no-mine.
Ai-no-mine (Between Peaks) Kada-sha
Ai-no-mine is located between Ni-no-mine and San-no-mine. It is a landing along the ridgeline after descending from Ni-no-mine.
Here, there is Kada-sha, which enshrines the ancestral god of the Kada family, which produced Kada no Azumamaro.
The enshrined deity is “Ise-okami,” which represents Amaterasu-omikami, the sun goddess enshrined in the Inner Shrine of Ise Grand Shrine. As the progenitor of the imperial family, the Japanese people have long prayed for a bountiful harvest and expressed gratitude for its blessings during the Daijosai (Great Thanksgiving Festival).
Also, in relation to Ichi-no-mine, when Amaterasu-omikami hid herself in Ama-no-Iwato, the one who danced was Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto, who is enshrined at Ichi-no-mine, Kami-no-sha.
This is the sacred rock behind the main hall of Kada-sha. Just like the other peaks, there are o-tsuka lined up around it.
Ai-no-mine Kada-sha Nune-torii
Kada-sha has a rare torii gate called “Nune-torii.”
Its unique shape has a triangular gable inserted between the two parallel lines of the torii (the shimaki and the nukki), and it is a rare type of torii to see in all of Japan. Besides Kada-sha, it can also be seen at Nishiki Tenmangu (Nishikikoji-dori Shinkyogoku, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City).
Ai-no-mine Iseya
The “Iseya” teahouse at Ai-no-mine and the Nune-torii gate.
According to legend, a mountain god named “Ryutota” once lived at the foot of Mt. Inari.
He had a dragon-like face, radiated light, cultivated rice during the day, and gathered firewood on the mountain at night.
Because he carried rice (in Japanese, “ine o katsu”), he came to be known by the surname “Kada.” In other words, the “Kada clan” is said to be the descendant of “Ryutota.”
According to records at Toji temple, during the Heian period, the great Buddhist monk Kukai received Mt. Inari from Ryutota and then invited the Inari deity to the foot of the mountain. At that time, Fujio Daimyojin was already enshrined at the foot of the mountain, but it is said that Kukai petitioned Emperor Saga to relocate the deity to Fukakusa.
The Shinto priests (shaka) of Fushimi Inari Taisha are divided into the Hata and Kada clans, but it seems that the Kada clan had access to Mt. Inari even before the Hata clan enshrined the Inari deity.
As of July 2019, the Iseya teahouse is no longer in business and appears to be closed.
Ai-no-mine to San-no-mine
After passing Ai-no-mine, the path becomes a downhill slope again.
San-no-mine Shimo-no-sha
After a short descent, you will see the cluster of o-tsuka at San-no-mine.
These are the o-tsuka at San-no-mine, where many torii gates have been dedicated.
This is Shimo-no-sha, which enshrines Uka-no-mitama-no-okami. This deity is also known by the name Shiragiku-okami.
Originally, this deity was enshrined as the clan god of agriculture by the Hata family, who lived in this area, and was a god of cereals and farming who presided over a bountiful harvest. From this, it transformed into “Miketsu-no-kami,” the god of food, and came to be considered the same as Toyouke-omikami, the goddess of the Outer Shrine of Ise Grand Shrine. For this reason, Uka-no-mitama-no-okami is depicted as a goddess and has a fox as its attendant. It is also written as “Uka-no-mitama-no-mikoto,” and the name embodies the wish for a bountiful harvest of rice, the staple food of the Japanese people.
After that, when the great Buddhist monk Kukai was building Toji temple as the main training ground for Shingon Buddhism, he used cedar from Mt. Inari as building material with the cooperation of the Hata clan. As a result, Uka-no-mitama-no-okami came to be enshrined as the guardian deity of Toji temple.
As a result of this strong connection with Shingon Buddhism, the deity incorporated the Buddhist idea of present-day worldly benefits, and as Buddhism spread among the common people, so did the worship of this deity throughout the country. Uka-no-mitama-no-okami was syncretized with the Buddhist deity Dakiniten, who rides a white fox. Today, the head shrine of the Shinto-based Inari in Japan is Fushimi Inari, and the head shrine of the Buddhist-based Inari is Toyokawa Inari.
San-no-mine Shimo-no-sha Sacred Object
The sacred object of Shimo-no-sha. This is said to be the place where Uka-no-mitama-no-okami descended, making this peak the origin of Fushimi Inari. A deformed god-beast mirror was excavated here in the Meiji era. This mirror is currently housed at the Kyoto National Museum.
San-no-mine Okamoto-ten
This is “Okamoto-ten,” a shop located at San-no-mine. Like the other teahouses, it sells offerings and dedicated torii gates.
Torii Gate between San-no-mine and Yotsutsuji
This is the path leading down from San-no-mine to Yotsutsuji. The downhill slope continues.
We have returned to the front of Nishimuratei at Yotsutsuji.
Path from Yotsutsuji to Santoku-sha
There is a small lookout point between Yotsutsuji and Santoku-sha.
There you’ll find Yakuichi-sha. It seems to have a komainu (guardian dog) instead of a fox as well.
The torii gate of Santoku-sha can be seen at the bottom of the stairs.
You need to be careful of the strain on your knees when descending the stairs.
From Mitamatei to Mitsutsuji
We descend from Mitamatei to the torii gate at Mitsutsuji.
For the return route, there are two options at Mitsutsuji: the “route down to Kumata-sha” and the “route via the back approach path.”
This is all for this article. Next time, we will introduce the route if you choose the back approach path.
The path of torii gates will continue along the ridge for a while.
