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All Japan Higashi-Fushimi Inari Shrine
AO Edited

Higashi-Fushimi Inari Shrine

The lesser-known eastern counterpart to Kyoto’s famous fox shrine.

Nishitokyo, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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Higashi-Fushimi Inari Shrine.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Higashi-Fushimi Inari Shrine.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Sacred foxes all around.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A maze of red torii arches.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
There are many smaller shrines at the back.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Honden (main building).   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A hokora (shrinelet) of Inari.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Inari is one of the most worshipped deities in Japan.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Fushimi Inari Shrine is the ancient center of Inari worship, now extremely famous, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Kyoto. It has thousands of branches across Japan, all dedicated to the deity of rice, Inari, accompanied by sacred fox statues and red torii arches.

In the suburban city of Nishi-Tokyo (West Tokyo) is Higashi-Fushimi Inari-jinja, the lesser-known eastern counterpart of Kyoto's Fushimi Shrine, dedicated to the Great God of Higashi-Fushimi, a syncretic triad consisting of Uka-no-mitama, Satahiko, and Ōmiya-no-hime.

Higashi-Fushimi is much younger than most of Tokyo's major shrines, founded in 1929. Locals were devout worshippers of Inari, and had long demanded to have their own Fushimi Inari shrine. Unlike the original in Kyoto, it is not located on a mountain, but on a much smaller hill. At the back is a maze of torii arches and undershrines, a sacred site of otsuka-mairi ("mound pilgrimage").

Traditionally, otsuka-mairi is done by visitors who go around the inner sanctuary paying respect to each of the 18 undershrines, but no same one twice. It is believed to bring good luck to the worshippers and to grant wishes.

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Fred Cherrygarden

Published

August 20, 2024

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Higashi-Fushimi Inari Shrine
Nishitokyo, 202-0021
Japan
35.726551, 139.557345
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