I traveled north to Kyoto a while back and went to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, 伏見稲荷大社, just the east of the city. Fushimi is the ward of Kyoto the shrine is found in, and Inari is the god of harvests, fertility and foxes. Inari is also the god of business, and many of the massive red "torii" gates are donated by business seeking success. There are thousands of the red torii that line the pathway leading about three kilometers up the mountain. Many tourists come to this site, and it is especially busy on Japanese New Years. In 2006, the police estimated that 2.69 million visitors came to this shrine over three days.
As you make the grueling trek to the top, you will pass many old "tsuka, 塚” mounds for worship.
The worship of Inari itself dates to the year 711, when this shrine was first built. But since then, more that 30,000 shrines dedicated to Inari have been built across Japan. Inari is a kami of agriculture but has been thanked by some ancient generals after victory in battle was achieved.
The Shinto god Inari, when in a physical form, can be either three separate kami, or five. Inari also has a messager spirit of the "kitsune, 狐” a fox with a red bib and sometimes holding a scroll in its mouth.
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