{"id":85147,"date":"2021-10-08T20:02:40","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T11:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=85147"},"modified":"2021-12-17T02:49:45","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T17:49:45","slug":"fushimi-inari-taisha-shrine-kyoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/fushimi-inari-taisha-shrine-kyoto\/","title":{"rendered":"Fushimi Inari Taisha, The Most Fascinating Shrine in Kyoto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fushimi Inari Taisha, or Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine (\u4f0f\u898b\u7a32\u8377\u5927\u793e)<\/strong>. Beyond its famous red gates, we are talking about one of the greatest cultural and religious landmarks<\/strong> both in Kyoto and Japan as a whole. Consecrated to the country’s most popular deity, it’s the head shrine for more than 30 thousand affiliated shrines dedicated to Inari throughout the Japanese archipelago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"First
The first red gate marks the entrance to the shrine’s sacred domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The History of Fushimi Inari Taisha<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 711 AD, this shrine has more than 1300 years of history<\/strong>. The Hata clan, one of the most prominent between the 2nd and 6th centuries, decided to officialize the cult of Inari, a deity who is believed to have been worshipped already for several centuries at that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the mythical account<\/strong> collected in the literary work Yamashiro Koku Fudoki (\u5c71\u57ce\u56fd\u98a8\u571f\u8a18), an ancestor of the said clan named Hata no Irogu, practiced marksmanship using mochi (\u9905), also called rice cakes. An arrow pierced one of the cakes and transformed into a swan that flew to the top of the mountain, where rice began to grow. This miraculous event marks the beginning of the legend of Inari Okami<\/strong> (\u7a32\u8377\u795e) and gives Mount Inari its name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to shrine records, the year 711 was when an imperial envoy arrived to enshrine the local deities on the mountain after farmers in the area had suffered a series of bad harvests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Deity Revered in Both Shinto and Buddhism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The early Heian period<\/strong> (794-1185) saw Inari’s popularity flourish<\/strong> along with its shrine thanks to the Hata clan’s great political influence. When the Buddhist temple To-Ji was built in Kyoto in 796, the clan provided wood from Mount Inari trees. Inari thus became To-Ji’s guardian deity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who are wondering why a Shinto deity is the guardian of a Buddhist temple, it’s worth noting that although distinctions exist today between Shinto and Buddhism<\/a>, at that time such contradiction was non-existent<\/strong>. At this point, to get a better understanding of Inari’s cult and its history, it’s necessary to mention that the separation between Buddhism and Shinto<\/a> is nothing more than a recent concept from the Meiji era, as a political tool to cement the new imperial power and Shinto as a state religion. Until then, both systems of belief were so intertwined with each other (a phenomenon known as shinbutsu-shugo<\/a><\/em>, \u795e\u4ecf\u7fd2\u5408) that in practice, it was like talking about the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shrine’s relevance grew further between the 9th and 10th centuries when a series of imperial decrees gradually raised Inari’s status as a deity until, in 942, Fushimi Inari acquired the highest possible rank for a Shinto shrine<\/strong>. During the same period, the shrine also received the benefits of imperial patronage, a privilege reserved for just about twenty shrines. Its position as a mandatory stop on any pilgrimage was established and consolidated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Main
The main pavilion (Honden<\/em>) of Fushimi Inari Taisha<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Between the late 15th and mid-17th centuries, the main enclosures we know today were built. Honden (\u672c\u6bbf), or main pavilion, was rebuilt in 1499 after being destroyed in a fire in the midst of the Onin Rebellion in 1468. Officially designated as an Asset of Cultural Importance<\/strong>, its detailed and colorful decorations are a grand architectural sample of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Inner
Facade of the inner pavilion called Haiden<\/em> (\u5185\u62dd\u6bbf)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n