Fushimiinari Taisha - 10,000 red gates - Why?

Описание: This is Fushimiinari

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine is the head shrine of all Inari shrines. The shrine has a history of 1,300 years since its establishment in 711. It is said that Sei Shonagon, who wrote "The Pillow Book," also visited the shrine.

The shrine is famous for its "Senbon Torii" or thousands of torii gates, but in reality, there are more than 10,000 torii gates. People dedicate torii gates to the shrine as an expression of their gratitude or to make a wish, a tradition that started around the Edo period. Torii gates are also sold on the shrine grounds and along the mountain trail.

The entire mountain, which has an elevation of 233 meters, is part of the shrine. The torii gates extend all the way to the top of the mountain, so it is recommended to plan enough time to visit the shrine. At the summit, there is a tea house where visitors can enjoy light snacks.

At the Okunoin halfway up the mountain, there is a place called "Omokaruishi" where visitors can lift a stone and ask the god whether their wish will come true or not. If the stone feels heavier than expected, the wish may take longer to come true, and if it feels lighter, it may come true sooner. This time, the stone felt heavy, so it seems that the wish will take longer to come true.

The ema, or wooden wishing plaques at the shrine, have fox faces, which are the messengers of the god. During the New Year's visit, ema with the zodiac animal of the year, which is the rabbit this year, are also available. The zodiac has 12 animals, and each year corresponds to a specific animal.

There is a power spot called "Negai-agari no Matsu" located about 10 meters from Okunoin. It is said that if you stroke the bark of the pine tree and then stroke the part of your body where you want to be healed, the pain will disappear. Going under the roots of the tree is said to have the same effect. Some people also ask for blessings for the increase of stocks or securities, playing on the similar pronunciation of "Negai-agari" and "ne-agari-matsu." Try it!

The area around Yotsutsuji, where you can see the city of Kyoto, is a bit crowded. From here, you can take the "Oyamameguri" tour, which is a one-hour walk around the summit, but this time we didn't have time for it.

When you pass through the torii gates, there are souvenir shops and food stalls. They sell unusual foods such as grilled sparrow and quail, which are eaten whole, including the bones. There are also traditional Japanese rice cracker shops that sell hand-baked fox-shaped crackers and crackers with fortunes inside. This time, I bought Fortune Senbei (Rice Cracker) as a souvenir, which is delicious when freshly made.
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Map link: https://bit.ly/Fushimiinari-Taisha
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