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Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Japan’s most iconic shrine

Overlooking Kyoto from Inari Mountain, this shrine attracts thousands of visitors of all faiths each day.

Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
At the base of Inari Mountain, just after a string of tourist trap shops and food carts, several large buildings surround the main gate and main shrine at Japan's Fushimi Inari-Taisha. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
By Ziad Ramley
Published On 3 Jan 2016

Kyoto, Japan – The orange gates, known as “torii”, of the Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine are one of Japan’s most iconic landmarks. Overlooking the former capital city of Kyoto from Inari Mountain, they dot the landscape, attracting thousands of visitors of all faiths each day.

Not to be confused with often similarly-styled Buddhist temples, Fushimi Inari-Taisha belongs to Shinto, the ethnic religion of the people of Japan practiced by over 70 percent of the population. In Shinto, shrines are devoted to the worship of multiple gods called “kami”. Kami are believed to possess a deep connection with nature and may have positive or negative characteristics, depending on the kami.

Inari, the kami that Fushimi Inari-Taisha is dedicated to, is a popular figure in Shinto practice and is the Japanese deity of foxes, rice, fertility, agriculture, industry, and general prosperity.

Closely associated with industry and economic success, Inari is a popular kami for Japanese business owners, who have donated thousands of gates to Fushimi Inari-Taisha hoping to increase their fortunes.

Shinto shrines in Japan are organised into cross-country networks of small and large shrines according to which kami they are dedicated to. Shrines devoted to Inari’s worship make up the largest shrine network in Japan, with an estimated 32,000 sub-shrines located throughout the country. Fushimi Inari-Taisha, the largest of the Inari shrines, is the head shrine of the Inari network.

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Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Japanese businesses donate torii, orange gates, to the shrine as a form of prayer. These gates represent a transition from the profane to the sacred and are a common sight throughout Japan. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
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Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Private shrines of all sizes are dedicated to personal prayers and are a common sight off the main path. The orange torii often indicate the entrance to a shrine. Although the exact number is difficult to pinpoint, it is estimated that the number of small shrines on the mountain is in the thousands. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Religious expression in Shinto is separated into the categories of Shrine Shinto, Imperial Household Shinto, Koshinto, Sect Shinto, and Folk Shinto. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Official Shinto shrines are government-supported and associated with the Imperial family. Fushimi Inari-Taisha was officially designated in 1871AD. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Because of Inari’s association with prosperity, merchants and manufacturers have worshiped this kami for centuries. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Foxes, known in Japanese as 'kitsune,' are believed to be the messengers of Inari. As such, fox statues such as these can be seen all over the shrine. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
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Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Early structures belonging to Fushimi Inari-Taisha were built in 711AD, but were moved from Inariyama hill, in southwestern Kyoto, to its current location the following century. It wasn’t until 1499AD that the main shrine was built. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Kyoto extends between mountain ranges, its hustle and bustle blocked out by the rustling of trees in the wind. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]
Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine
Over 70 percent of Japan’s native population belongs to Shinto, but a far smaller proportion of them self-identify as 'Shintoists' in surveys. [Ziad Ramley/Al Jazeera]