Fushimi-Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in southern Kyoto and is famous for the thousands of orange torii (sacred gate) gates, which straddle a few trails through the wooded forest up Mount Inari.

It is one of Kyoto's oldest shrines, founded in 711AD. The shrine draws thousands of businessmen and tradespeople seeking blessings for their enterprises, especially during the New Year holiday.

According to the information brochure given to us at the entrance, "The deities worshiped here are regarded as the fundamental ancestral deities who protect the necessities of human life, clothing, food, and housing. There are more than 10,000,000 worshipers, high and low, rich and poor, paying visits annually at this shrine."

Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, so there are several fox statues throughout the shrine grounds.  The bushy tails of the fox symbolize fruitful years of rice, and the precious stone held in his mouth symbolizes the spirit of the deities.

The vermilion lacquer of shrines and Torii are very impressive! The color is regarded as symbolizing peace and good harvest.

As with most temples/shrines in Japan, you can pay to write a prayer/wish and then hang it on a gate near the temple for good luck. Here, we bought a "Senbon Torii" for Elodie - you write down your name and wish on the Torii gate, hang it on the orange fence behind the main shrine, and then hopefully your wish will come true. :)

Shrine entrance

Hanging Elodie's Senbon Torii wish for 'Love, Happiness, & Health' on the gate.

At the very back of the shrine's main grounds is the entrance to the torii gate hiking trail, called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"). The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies - you will see the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. The cost starts around 400,000yen ($5,000) for a small sized gate and goes up to 1,300,000 yen for larger ones ($16,000). The painted wooden gates are replaced every 10 years.

Entrance to Senbon Torii hiking trail

This is the real highlight of the shrine! The 4-km maze of paths wind their way up through the forest to the summit of the mountain. More than 10,000 orange torii gates frame the paths, forming a tunnel that in some places cuts out most light. The hike to the top of the mountain took us about 2 hours.

It was a beautiful hike through the woods and beneath the bright orange torii gates. There are several shrine/worship stops along the way with hundreds of thousands of miniature wooden gates hanging from every available space. There are also a couple of tiny restaurants and shops where you can stop for tea or enjoy rice balls.

Elodie at the very top of the mountain!

View of Kyoto from about half way up the mountain.

Family photo!

Fushimi-Inari shrine has been on the top of my Japan to-do list for quite a while. I'm so glad we finally took a weekend trip to Kyoto to see the shrine and hike up the mountain. The thousands of bright orange torii gates were quite impressive, and the overall hike up the mountain was absolutely beautiful. A definite MUST SEE in Japan!!!  As always, Elodie was a rockstar for the entire journey. She did great in our new backpack - and Joe was a trooper carrying her the entire way!