It is a place or worship visited especially on the New Year, when millions of Japanese come here to bring gifts to Inari. This is the deity of rice but also of sake and business. The fox, kitsune, is the emissar of Inari. Kitsune likes fried tofu, it is said, so many shops around deal in this matter. Stories and legends tell us that kitsune has magical powers and he/she can turn into a human. Sometime, she is mischievious and brings madness to the humans. She carries in her mouth a key (of a granary presumable0 or a scroll. They come in pairs to guard the shrines. Kitsune may have to 9 tails, the more, the more powerful she is. When she gets old, her fur became white or golden. Very nice stories…

My host in Kyoto  was puzzled by the great number of foreign tourists going there. “There are many places more interesting, he said”. “Yes, but the great number of photos and texts on internet, on forums and blogs, lure them there”, I said. So, I went too, in the day I spent with Kumiko in Southern Kyoto. She guided me there, and then she returned to Yoshino, as it was already late.

We entered on the shrine territory on a little street with restaurants and souvenir shops, then we parted. I wandered a little around the main shrine and the little ones. This is the principal shrine of Inari in Japan, and there are 32000 sub-shrines in all Japan.

Then, I walked the alley to the long row of tori (aprox. 4 km). It is not known the exact number of tori, every site I read offers another one. But you need more than 2 hours if you want to do the whole circuit. The gates are donated by individuals or companies, and their name is inscriptioned on the gate. It looks really impressive.

The sun was about to go down, and it was a while since I met the last people. It was too late to venture alone in the forest, so I went back to take some more photos. Then, choosing the main alley this time, I went down to the railway station and back to Kyoto, finishing another wonderful day.

Cand am spus gazdei mele ca vreau sa vizitez Fushimi Inari s-a aratat mirat: “Nu stiu de ce atata lume se duce la Fushimi Inari, cand sunt multe alte locuri mai interesante?!” I-am spus ca, cel putin in ceea ce ii priveste pe turistii straini, cred ca acestia sunt influentati de promovarea excesiva care se face pe bloguri si forumuri acestui obiectiv. Fotografiile sunt spectaculoase si toti vor sa vada multimea de tori (porti specifice altarelor shinto).

Am ajuns acolo cu trenul, venind de la Uji, unde vizitasem un templu aflat sub protectie UNESCO. Era deja tarziu, asa ca m-am despartit de Kumiko, cu care impartisem acea zi minunata petrecuta la sud de Kyoto. Ea s-a intors la Yoshino, iar eu am incercat sa vad cate ceva in acest loc devenit atat de popular.

Primele structuri ale altarului au fost construite in sud-vestul orasului Kyoto, in 711, dar in 816 ele au fost relocate la locul actual. In perioada Heian, altarul a intrat sub patronajul familiei imperiale.

Aici, credinciosii se inchina lui Inari, zeitate cu forma feminina dar si masculina, responsabila cu recoltele de orez dar si de productia de sake, iar, prin extensie, de afaceri in general. Mesagerul sau este vulpea, kitsune, impodobita cu un servet ritual rosu si tinand in gura un pergament sau o cheie, presupusa a fi a unui granar. Inari este unul dintre kami (spirit) cel mai raspandit in Japonia, lucru lesne de inteles. Acesta este locul principal unde este adorat Inari, dar se spune ca exista cca. 32000 de sub-altare Inari in tara. Cu ocazia Anului Nou, in 1-2 ianuarie, cateva milioane de credinciosi vin sa se roage aici pentru prosperitatea familiei lor. Cu aceasta ocazie, kitsune primeste ofrande de hrana, orez dar si sake. Se crede ca ei ii place cel mai mult tofu prajit si de aceea o multime de mici pravalioare din jur se ocupa de acest lucru. Desi vulpea este mesagerul lui Inari, ea poate fi si un personaj malefic, lucru observat dupa fizionomia sa. Inzestrata cu puteri magice, poate lua infatisare de om. Se crede ca patrunde in corpul omului prin unghii si il innebuneste. Se spune chiar ca omul posedat de kitsune isi schimba fizionomia, semanand cu o vulpe. Multele povesti si legende tesute in jurul acestui poersonaj arata importanta sa intre multimea de kami pe care ii adora shintoistii. Ea traieste pana la 100 de ani si are 9 cozi. Cu cat are mai multe, cu atat este mai inteleapta si puternica. Cand imbatraneste, blana ei devine alba sau aurie, de aceea vulpile din unele reprezentari sunt albe.

Urmeaza un sir de trepte, care te duc in zona altarului principal, nu fara a trece intai pe la fantana de purificare.

 

Intrarea spre zona altarului principal este strajuita de perechea de kitsune.